


Body Language

by mandygirl78



Series: CinAnn Forever [1]
Category: Facts of Life
Genre: 1st season, 70s retro, F/F, Femslash, First Season, femmeslash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-09-03
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2017-10-23 09:25:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 69,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/248757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandygirl78/pseuds/mandygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After reading a book about body languages, Molly use it to help bring her friends together in more than one way, and to expose another…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is coming from Molly’s POV. 10-33 is the CB code for emergency

Title: Body Language  
Author: mandygirl78  
Fandom: Facts of Life - 1st Season  
Rating: Teen (possibly Mature)  
Summary: After reading a book about body languages, Molly use it to help bring her friends together in more than one way, and to expose another…  
Note: This is coming from Molly’s POV. 10-33 is the CB code for emergency

*-*-*-*-*

October 2, 1979

“Cindy, did you shop at the boys section at Sears again?” Blair rebuked with an added huff to the end.

“What?” Cindy asked.

Blair was at it again, harassing Cindy. I don't know why she has issues with Cindy. So she doesn't dress like a girl, so what? Not every woman wants to be a Maybelline girl. How can we achieve women’s equality if we women fight over silly stuff like this? There's got to be a deeper reason for her resentment towards Cindy.

"I mean do you know how to dress? Or do I have to contact Halston on a CB, calling for a 10-33?"

"Well I'm surprised Blair, that you are only calling one guy up. I thought you might call a few more for a gangbang!" Cindy irritated back.

Blair then gave her an angry glance. "Why you..." Blair seethed.

This is not looking good. Maybe my book can help me on this. It's about Body Languages and how you can read them. It really is a fascinating book, I learned a lot out of it. Usually our bodies tell the truth when our words aren't. They can give off a lot of clues about what we really are thinking and feeling.

Fortunately, Mrs. Garrett got wind of their quarrel and sternly warned them.

"Blair and Cindy! You two better stop it right now!"

Blair replied, "Did you hear what she just said to me?" Cindy sighed a breath of relief.

"I want to have a word with you, young lady."

"But Mrs. Garrett -"

"No buts! Come with me!” she bellowed out.

Cindy didn't say anything as Mrs. Garrett and Blair went into the kitchen. I saw a tear rolling down from her eye as she was still hurting from Blair's sting. What she didn't know was that I was there behind her, listening. I came up to her and comforted her.

"Don't listen to Blair, she's just being a creep as usual."

“I know, but maybe she’s right. Maybe I am not a normal girl,” Cindy responded with cracks in her voice. She was trying her best not to cry, but she couldn’t hold it longer and she let it out. I offered her my shoulder and she continuously cried on it. I couldn’t help but notice that when she hugged me, she put her arms around my lower back and held her body very close to me, which according to my Body Language book was an indication of a potential romantic interest. I didn’t say anything, but a lot was going on in my mind at the time. There’s something about her that she’s not saying, maybe she doesn’t realize herself.

“Now Cindy, don’t let it get to you. People think that I’m not normal. They think that I’m a radical, liberal Feminist – and they’re correct!”

Cindy chuckled at that one. Good, at least there is some sort of happy spirit in her.

“Yeah, but that’s a lot better than what I’m being accused of.”

She didn’t say the word, but I knew and she knew, so there was no need.

“Actually a lot of Feminist has been accused of that. But it doesn’t matter, we can’t let them tell us how to live our lives and take away our freedom and powers. That’s what we fought for, to be ourselves. Besides, they’re just empty words; it’s only you that makes meaning to it.”

“You might be right, they’re just empty words.” Cindy responded. She then finally smiles. That made me smile.

“Come on, let’s go listen to some Phoebe Snow. I just bought her new album and I can’t wait to hear it.”

Cindy got excited and said, “Solid!”

But then I heard some noise in the kitchen, so I told Cindy, “On second thought, I’ll be there a little later…, I got to do some investigation.”

Cindy looked at the kitchen door and smiled, “Tell me everything that went on there.”

“I will.”

*-*-*-*-*

So I quietly opened the kitchen door and saw Mrs. Garret having some words for Blair. They were talking near the sink. Mrs. Garrett was on the left while Blair was on the right. They didn’t notice that I was there. Good.

“This nonsense between you and Cindy will stop right this instant. As a punishment, you will not be using the phone to call any of your boyfriends for a whole month.”

Blair had an incredulous look when she heard that, “WHAT! You can’t do that to me!” She looked shocked, but it kind of looked staged. She can pull it off, she’s an actress, but it might be just the way she gets shocked. In the book, it mentions that when a person is shock, the total body reacts. That’s not the case here as I only saw her face being shocked while the rest of body seemed indifferent.

“Oh yes I can, Miss! Not only that, you will also clean the bathrooms for an entire month as well, and I’ll cut down your TV watching for the entire month, that includes the Dukes of Hazzard.”

“What! No Dukes of Hazzard for an entire month!?!” Blair then started to act hysterical. “Please, at least let me watch that! Please! Please! I’m sorry! I got the jones for Luke!” Now her body is showing total shock.

Mrs. Garrett thought about it again and retraced her previous statement, “Okay, okay, I’ll let you watch it, since I know that you got the hots for Luke – I can’t blame you.” Mrs. Garrett blushed and smiled. Blair on the other hand smiled, but she didn’t show any signs of blushing, weird. “But,” as she emphasized the word, “if you keep on continuing harassing Cindy between now and the Harvest Fair, I will pull you out of the Harvest Queen competition!”

That sent shockwaves through Blair. Her eyes really widened and it looked like she was going to explode, instead she sulked and looked down. The book says that it’s a sign of remorse and shame. I think that one really sent a message to her. I don’t get to see this side of Blair too often.

“Okay, I’ll stop.”

Even with the Harvest Queen threat, I can’t believe that Mrs. Garrett handed her such a light punishment, she should have gotten something worse like in addition to cleaning the bathroom, she has to make up all of our beds, or listen to stories from Mr. Bradley. Heh, that’s a good one. Or better yet, she had to watch an entire episode of Hee Haw in place of Dukes of Hazzard, now that’s low-class trashy entertainment… On second thought, if she likes the Dukes, then she’ll probably like Hee Haw.

What also intrigued me was how much missing a few episodes of a stupid, retarded show that degrades poor Southern people and treats the women as sex objects meant a lot to her. I got to examine her a bit more, but I had to quickly leave as they were about to head my way!

I quickly jetted out there and briskly walked upstairs to me and Cindy’s room. As soon as I got in, Cindy excitedly ask me questions.

“So what happened? Did she get punished? Did Mrs. Garrett really give it to her?”

I looked at Cindy and told her. “No she didn’t really give it to her. She did punish her though.”

“How?”

“She can’t call any of her boyfriends for a month.”

A surprised look appeared on Cindy’s face, “Really?”

“Yep! Not only that, she has to clean all the bathrooms for the entire month.”

A smile appeared on her face, “Continue on!”

“Also, she was about to strip her privilege of watching TV shows like Dukes of Hazzard, but Blair relented and Mrs. Garrett caved in.”

That one really stumped Cindy, “Huh?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said. Funny thing was that she got hysterical when Mrs. Garrett told her about that.”

“Okay… I know she like boys a lot, but that’s really ridiculous.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. But there’s more, if she insults you again between now and the Harvest Fair, she will have to drop out of the Harvest Queen competition.”

That brought smiles to Cindy, “That’s simply great! She won’t harass me anymore.”

“Yeah, that would be a relief. Now let’s go listen to some more music and dance, you need to work off some of that tension.”

*-*-*-*-*

Around that time, we were dancing to some of Phoebe Snow tunes. Cindy was a much better dancer than I am. I’m amaze at how she can keep herself in rhythm with the music. It was about a few minutes later when Sue Ann, Nancy, Tootie, and Natalie came in. Instantly, I noticed that Cindy dropped everything and focused her attention on Sue Ann.

“So Blair’s giving you a hard time again I heard?” Nancy said.

“Yeah, Blair is being a bitch again. She was criticizing about how unfeminine I am.”

Sue Ann exhaled and shook her head in astonishment of Blair’s bitchiness. I can’t blame her. “I think we need to get back at her. Hey I know what we can do, why don’t you run for Harvest Queen?”

Cindy was stunned for a moment, like a car was coming towards her. Her body instantly became stiff. In the book, it says that stiffness comes with shock and fear, which is what Cindy must be experiencing. She didn’t say anything and was thinking about it for a bit. “I don’t know… I don’t know anything about dressing up or makeup, besides the black liner I wear for softball. I don’t know anything about fashion.”

“Don’t worry about it Cindy, you’re looking at future beauticians, we will help you out as much as we can, right Natalie?” Tootie said.

“Right on! We got all the makeup you need to look like Farrah Fawcett!”

“And me and Sue Ann can help you out with the clothes,” Nancy added. However, I can see it in her body posture how very unconfident she was about it. Stooped shoulders, the inability to look up, and playing with your own hands are the signs of lack of confidence, as the book mentions. She was indeed the textbook example, as her shoulders stooped low, she never looked up, and she was fidgeting with her fingers.

“I don’t know…”

“Come on Cindy, I think you got a chance. You’re naturally beautiful and you got a great body structure. I think you can pull it off. I believe in you, and so does everybody.” Everybody said ‘yeah’ in agreement. However, I noticed something else was going on. Those two didn’t say much, but their eyes were doing a lot of shouting! Their eyes were locked into each other, like they were doing a waltz dance together. I was stunned at what I saw, there were sparks flying between the gazes. The Book of Body Language made it extremely clear that long, glazing, eye contact between two people was a clear sign of attraction. Basically Sue Ann’s eyes were saying “I believe in you because I love you.”

“Okay, I’ll do it.” She said with renewed confidence, but her eyes never left Sue Ann and neither did Sue Ann’s.

Then she gave everybody a hug, however the last hug was for Sue Ann and it was the longest as she fully wrapped her arms around Sue Ann’s body. Sue Ann didn’t object or try to make some distance; in fact, she even tried to hug Cindy tighter! Their hug was the classic example of two people being attracted to each other, as the book indicates. Holding each other close, a longer duration from the typical hug, and a facial expression of pleasure they are getting from this, are all the body signs of attractions. Oh my God, why didn’t I see this before? They’re totally attracted to each other!

So Blair might be right about her, but so what? There’s nothing wrong with two women loving each other. I think it’s beautiful when two people find love within themselves, no matter what the race, class, or gender. It’s just another method that the bourgeois elite use to keep us separated so that we can’t rally against them!

I also think that Cindy and Sue Ann are perfect for each other, but do they know that? Should I help them or let nature take its course? Should I share this info with anyone else, or keep it to myself? So many questions and yet there are no clear answers.

*-*-*-*-*


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been revised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been revised, thanks to M. Murgatroyd

About a half-hour later Mrs. Garrett walked into our room. We were lying on our stomachs on my bed listening to Phoebe Snow and chatting.

"Can I speak to you for a minute, Cindy?"

"Sure!" she said, getting up from the bed.

"Follow me to my bedroom."

"Okay."

I watched Cindy slowly follow Mrs. Garrett out of the room, and turned back to reading the Body Language book. She returned about fifteen minutes later showing signs of nervousness like she had just told a big lie.

"So, what happened?"

"Me and Mrs. Garrett had a talk about my 'time clock'."

_ Her what?  _ I didn't understand one bit what the heck she was talking about. "Your what?" 

"Let me explain..."

8888888888888888888888888888

"Are you still okay?" Mrs. Garrett asked as the two of them entered her bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"No, you're not. You're still bothered by Blair's comment."

"Yeah … I guess I am,” Cindy responded somewhat reluctantly. “Maybe she's right about me - I don't like girl stuff, and I _do_ like to touch them. Also, I wear boy's clothing, _and_ I can't tell you the difference between mascara and eye liner."

"Don't beat yourself over that," Mrs. Garrett chuckled.

"What if Blair is right about me being abnormal?" Cindy asked anxiously.

"Look, I was like you when I was young. I didn't have any interest in boys, and all I wanted to do was play sports and catch frogs."

"Catch frogs?"

"You would enjoy catching frogs too if you had grown up in a farm in Wisconsin where the only entertainment was listening to Grandpa Jack's wheezing laughs!"

"Oh..."

"But anyhow, the point is that we all go through stages. It's just that your time clock hasn't gone off yet."

"My time clock?"

"Yes. We all have time clocks inside of us. Some people's time clock goes off early like Blair's - too early if you ask me - and others go off much later. Your time will come."

"Well, if you shake me will it finally go off?"

"Don't be silly, you don't need to rush it,” Mrs. Garrett answered gently, patting Cindy’s hand and giving her a knowing wink. ”It will go off, trust me."

"I need to tell you one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I'm going to enter the Harvest Queen pageant."

"Congratulations, Cindy, but do you really want to do it?" Mrs. Garrett asked in a serious tone. "Don't do it just to prove Blair wrong. That's not the way to go about it."

"No, it’s not about that. I want to know what it's like to be a Harvest Queen. Please support me on this. I really want to do it."

"Hmmmm …. I'm not so sure it’s a good idea.” Mrs. Garrett eyed the girl in an attempt to determine whether the whole Harvest Queen thing was just an impulsive response to the older girl’s bullying.  The young blonde’s admission about boys clothing and make-up had been bang on; she had never until that moment shown any inkling towards anything as feminine as Harvest tiaras and scepters. 

"Please, Mrs. Garrett," Cindy implored her house-mother. She folded her hands in front of her chest to underscore the sincerity of the request.

"Oh, alright... But _please_ think it over carefully."

"I already have," Cindy said hurriedly as she left the room.

8888888888888888888888888888

"So _that's_ what she means by time clock. I think my clock went off when I saw Dan Rather the other day."

"Dan Rather?" Cindy asked with a disgusted look on her face. "He's old enough to be your dad!"

"Yeah, but he's charismatic, intelligent, and terribly smart!"

"I think you just pulled the plug on my time clock with that one..." she shot back, rolling her eyes and giving me another disgusted look.

"Don't worry about it. You'll meet someone who will take you breath away," I chuckled.

Cindy looked at me like I was silly. "Like who, Rex Smith?" she asked sarcastically.

"Maybe? After all, he did sing that song _You Take My Breath Away_ ," I offered, laughing even harder.

"Oh my God, that song is so fruity!" she exclaimed, giggling herself.

I stopped my merriment. "Hey, don't say something is fruity because you don't like it."

"Sorry, Ms. Sensitive Liberal," Cindy huffed.

"I just don't want you to say something that might make you look foolish," I responded, a little angry with her impertinence.

She paused for a moment, "Yeah, you're right. I should be more careful. Who knows, it might come back to bite me." _“Probably sooner than you think,”_ I thought to myself as Nancy interrupted our banter, entering the room with a piece of paper and some measuring tape in hand.

"Okay, Ms. Universe, it's time for me to measure you for your dress."

"Where's Sue Ann?" Cindy asked, getting up from the bed where she had been sitting.

"Sue Ann told me she was too busy with her homework, so she asked me to do it for you. She'll do the hemming herself."

"Oh." she lamented a bit. What struck me was the first thing that Cindy had said. Rather than offering thanks or any of the other pleasantries you’d expect in the situation she had immediately asked about Sue Ann’s whereabouts. “ _She has got it hard_ ,” I thought, shaking my head.

"Hey, trust me, I'm just as good as Sue Ann, so let me get your measurements."

"Okay," Cindy responded somewhat reluctantly. Her body language was tense and a bit jumpy as if to say _"Let’s just get this over with right away!"_ The book makes it clear that her cues were indeed signs of haste and impatience.

Nancy began taking the measurements. 

"Why are you willing to help us?” I asked as she pulled the tape measure around Cindy’s waist. ”I thought Blair was your best friend?" 

"She is, but she needs to be taught a lesson. Also, the more attention on Cindy, the more likely me and Roger can disappear from the festival unnoticed," she finished with a girlish giggle.

"Goodness, Nancy, does your life revolve around Roger?" I asked in exasperation. Cindy rolled her eyes as well.

"Well, I do love him! Besides, I don't talk about him as often as Blair likes to talk about boys."

Nancy’s comment was true, and it caused my mind to turn to the question of _why_ Blair was so crazy about boys. "Since you're Blair's roommate,” I pushed on,” how often does she talk about them?"

Nancy stopped what she was doing.  It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Oh God… It seems to be every time she's NOT talking about herself. I just don't get it. It's like she trying to prove something," she told us in an exasperated tone. 

_ “Trying to prove something… as if it is some sort of forced act _ ,” I thought. This is getting very interesting. The book **does** talk about forced expressions - I haven't gotten to that section of the book, but I will tonight!

"I'm only crazy about one boy. Blair, on the other hand, is almost like a total nympho!"

"I see… Does it seem to be forced when she talks about boys?"

Nancy thought about it for a moment before answering. "Actually, yeah. Why? What are you getting at?"

"Oh, nothing," I said, not wanting to reveal my thoughts. Thank goodness she's as dull as a butter knife. Well, Blair, it's starting to look like you are indeed putting on an act. I stopped talking and let Nancy continue on with the measuring, as Cindy was really showing her impatience with me asking all those questions. Ten minutes later Nancy was done with her, and Cindy turned to me with a serious look on her face.

"Why were you asking all those questions about Blair?"

"I was just curious. Why?"

"You're on to something, aren't you?"

"Not really. I was just wondering why Blair is particularly nasty to you. I know Nancy and Natalie have done more things to piss her off than you have, but she's not as spiteful to them as she is to you."

"Yeah, that's true. I don't understand what she has against me."

I think I do, and it starts with the letter 'J'…

8888888888888888888888888888                           

The next day was the day of the Harvest Fair. Two hours before it was set to begin Cindy came into the room looking very anxious.

"The fair will start soon, and I need to get my hair and make-up done. Have you seen Nancy or Sue Ann?" she fretted.

"I'll look for them."

"Please do!" she entreated.

Sue Ann came in the front door just as I made my way down the stairs to look for her.  She looked tired and beaten up.

"God, what a day! I had to tutor Rebecca for _two hours_ on Pre-Algebra."

"I understand, but we only have two hours before the fair starts and Cindy needs your help with her makeup and hair."

Sue Ann turned red for a moment, but responded with an ‘okay’ and followed me up the stairs. As soon as she entered my room Cindy shouted "Sue Ann!" and hugged her like her life depended on it. Her face began to glow the moment she wrapped her arms around the other girl. There it is folks - the sudden change of mood when someone important arrives, the deep affectionate hug, and the joyful facial expression - all of which are signs of romantic attraction according to my book.

"Hey there. So you need some help with your makeup and hair, huh?" Sue Ann asked, her mood visibly changing for the better. She began to smile.

"Yep. I want to impress the judges and wipe that smirk off Blair's face," Cindy replied as she reluctantly let go of Sue Ann.

"So do I. I'll be right back with some make-up and other stuff for you." 

She returned a moment later with a few cosmetics, a curling iron, and a brush.

"Welcome to Sue Ann's Beauty Salon. I will be your stylist, and today I will give you the Sue Ann Special!"

Cindy laughed as her hair was brushed. I also noticed that she began blushing as Sue Ann started the make-up. Sue Ann was not much better. She too was showing redness on her face. And as she was applying the foundation to Cindy it looked like she was touching the girl’s cheeks as though she was caressing them. _Was that part of the Sue Ann Special? Things were getting interesting…_

When hair and makeup were finished the girls had some time to spare before the start of the festival. "Now, take a look in the mirror. How do you feel?"

Cindy took a look and smiled, "Great! Thanks a lot, Sue Ann!"

"You're welcome," she beamed. I noticed they exchanged that look with one other again. These two women really want each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they’d have ripped each other's clothes off if I wasn't in the room!

"Well, I’ve got to get going. Good luck with the Harvest contest," Sue Ann uttered, her face flushing as she started to leave the room. 

"What will you be wearing, Sue Ann?"

"You'll find out when you see me," she said with a wink as she turned once again to leave.

"So, how do I look?" Cindy turned to me and asked.  Her face was still red from the effect of Sue Ann’s presence and touch.

"You look wonderffful." Darn it, my lisp really came out on that one! __

"Thanks, Molly. And, Blair,” Cindy laughed, “you better watch out! You're not the only Cover Girl in this town.”

8888888888888888888888888888

The 1979 Eastland Harvest Fair was just like any other harvest fair. There was lots of food, activities, crafts, and music. “ _Well, if you can call it music that is … I don't think I can take another second of the Bee Gees! Disco - ugh!”_ Just about every corner featured someone selling some sort of macramé craft.  It was enough to make you wish it would disappear along with Disco! There was a kissing booth for all the boys, and it was no surprise that Blair was one of its most active participants. I took note of how she kissed, and observed how her body stiffened each time she did. _Well there’s a clue if there ever was one…_

The crowds milled about, participating in the various activities and admiring the Harvest Queen contestants. Blair was soaking up the attention, and I noticed that when nobody was feeding Ms. Piggy's … Uh, I mean, Blair's ego, she was shooting Cindy intimidating looks. Cindy didn't pay her any mind, thank goodness. She really didn't need the distraction as she had her hands full between the contest and Greg Hockney, who appeared to be checking her out. 

"Hey there babe," he said with his crooked smile.

"Greg, don't call her -" I was about to bark at him.

"Molly," she said, turning on me with a menacing glare. Her body was telling me toshut up,so I did. She returned her attention to Greg, and dismissing me with a wave of her hand responded, "don't pay _her_ any mind."

He chuckled, "Of course not. I know how she is. How are you doing, Molly?"

"I'm fine, Greg. How are you?"

"Fine as usual, though I just _had_ to take a break from Blair's constant yapping."

"Doesn't everyone?" Cindy replied.

Greg just laughed. "That's her, alright. Anyhow, tell me more about yourself."

According to the book Cindy gave what appeared to be a nervous blush. If she was being flirtatious she would have made eye contact and stood with her body looser. She was doing neither though. Her eye contact was wavering, and her body tense. Greg, on the other hand, was making strong eye contact. He was seriously flirting with her and obviously thought that she was flirting back, but to the informed eye it was clear that she wasn't.

"Well, I'm from Los Angeles, and I like sports, dancing, watching TV, and playing board games. My sign is Aires, I think, and I want to be a professional athlete - either a tennis player or a track and field runner."

Greg smiled. "That's great! I'm into sports myself, being a football player and all. How about we meet up after the fair?"

I could see a look of uncertainty in her eyes. She couldn't respond, so I did for her. "Um, she can't. She has to go study for that Poetry exam we have coming up. Mr. Bradley has been seriously on us about it."

"Oh, I see. Why don't we just meet up some other time then?"

"Uh… Okay." Jeez Cindy, why couldn't you just say no or make something up? __

"Great, well, I’m going to hurry before Blair sics the hounds on me. Later." He winked at Cindy as he rushed off. She smiled, but I could tell that it was only out of modesty.

"So, what do you think about him?" she asked me as though seeking some sort of reassurance.

"It really doesn't matter what _I_ think. It's you that he wants."

"Well, he seems nice." Ah, the old 'he seems nice' expression from a woman. You don't need to read a book to figure that one out. Basically she's saying ‘he's okay as a friend but nothing more.’

"So he didn't set off your time clock, did he?" I asked bluntly. I saw no point in beating around the bush.

"Not at all, Molly, not at all," she responded with a disappointed look on her face. Her mood seemed pretty glum all of a sudden.

"Maybe he's not the one. Maybe it's another boy." I knew very well that wasn't the case, but I took it that she was still oblivious to this fact.

"Maybe so, Molly, maybe so…" she moped.

"Hey there, future Harvest Queen, how are you doing?" Tootie asked with a wide grin as her and Natalie approached.  Nat clutched a macramé owl in one hand and a large blue cotton candy in the other.

"I'm not the next Harvest Queen, girls. They haven't voted yet."

"Oh come on, I bet you're a sure lock for it. I think that they’ll be sick and tired of voting for Blair this year so they’ll vote for you instead!" Natalie offered with enthusiasm.

"I hope that's the case," Cindy sniggered. "Thanks for your compliments. By the way, where's Sue Ann?” she asked, her eyes surveying the area. “She hasn't shown up yet."

"When we were leaving she told us that she couldn’t come with us because she was still busy dressing," Natalie responded.

"She sure is taking a long time. She must be dressing for the Academy Awards or something!" Tootie said with a guffaw.

We snickered in response. We all knew that to put so much effort into your appearance for some rinky-dink thing like a Harvest Fair was quite peculiar – peculiar, that is, when your name wasn’t Blair Warner!

"Well, I know that it will look nice. _Anything_ she wears looks good on her," Cindy said unconsciously.  I choked on my Tab soda. “ _Now if that wasn't a Freudian slip, then I don't know what is!”_

"Are you okay, Molly?" Natalie approached, a look of concern on her face.

"Yeah… (cough)… I think I just drank my soda too fast."

Blair wandered over before anyone had a chance to pat me on the back. "Well, well, is this supposed to be my competition?” She snorted. “This will be easier than getting Greg's phone number."

"You got Greg Hockney's phone number? Wow!" Tootie uttered in amazement.

"Of course I did. After all, he _is_ my boyfriend. It's so easy when you're the best looking girl in school," she boasted, punctuating the remark with her trademark hair flick. It made me want to get some clippers and shave her head like they do in Boot Camp.

"Greg was flirting with Cindy just a few minutes ago," I told Blair, wanting to throw some ice into her hot pot. Much to Blair's irritation Cindy just smiled and nodded.

Blair quickly turned livid, but not as livid as I would expect for someone who is jealous. She was lacking the whole-body reaction that the book describes when someone is envious. Instead, her response was limited to her face as if it were all just an act. Oh, Blair, with all this fakery from you I bet you will do well in that Romeo and Juliet play coming up!

"What! How dare he?" She sneered like the wicked queen in Snow White.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's sick and tired of your crap," I stated to Blair as she made a show of being affronted and incredulous, shaking her head and glaring indignantly at Cindy. _This girl shouldn't be here, she should be in Hollywood!_

"Well, that’s what you think!" she spat.

She approached Cindy and tried to intimidate her with a mean scowl. It didn't seem to work though - according to the book Cindy's body was the picture of poise and confidence. Her chest was up, her arms were folded, and she looked directly back at Blair as the egotistical girl spoke. "Cindy, not only will I win the pageant, I will keep Greg wrapped around my baby finger. Mark my word."

"Not without a fight," Cindy snarled back. She was about to add something, but Mrs. Garrett approached us before the conversation could go any further. "Girls, is this more trouble between the two of you?"

"No, Mrs. Garrett." Blair said in a rather blasé way.

"Well, let me rephrase that. Is **Blair** causing any trouble? Because if so,” she continued, looking pointedly at the spoiled blonde, ”I can still pull her out of the pageant." Blair’s face blanched at the statement.

"No, Mrs. Garrett, everything's fine." Cindy affirmed, her eyes deadlocked on Blair.

"Okay then. Tootie and Natalie, I need you two to help me get the pumpkins from the station wagon."

"But, Mrs. Garrett -" whined Natalie.

"No buts. Come on now, the sooner the better." The two younger girls moaned as they followed Mrs. Garrett to the car. That left me, Cindy, and Blair standing in a circle.

Blair just scoffed at the two of us. "Well, I'll see you two at the pageant – that is, I’ll look down at both of you from the podium as they crown me yet again," she finished with a smirk.

That was it! I had enough of Blair's crap. "Go to blaze, Blair! We don't care what you say, right, Cindy? Cindy…? Cindy…?"

Unfortunately, Cindy was in her own world at that time. Nothing I could say or do would snap her out of it, for her time clock hadn't simply gone off - it had exploded like a Hydrogen bomb the minute she had laid eyes on Sue Ann.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, I added an FoL contributor to the story. She appears in the middle of it. Can you guess who it is?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter has been revised, thanks to M. Murgatroyd.

It doesn’t in the least surprise me that Sue Ann is the one who would cause it. What _did_ throw me for a loop is how and when - a simple white blouse with a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and a set of brown penny loafers at the Harvest Fair. Yet there she was, ogling her unabashedly. I could see her breathing heavily, her face flushed, her hands trembling. Every bit of her body language betrayed that she was heavily flustered. I bet if I had gotten close to her I could have actually heard her heart beating. And yes, the book describes these actions as signs of someone caving in on a major crush.

 

The jeans were tight on Sue Ann, flattering her wide hips and long legs. The blouse may have been ordinary, but it was somehow provocative – perhaps in the way it perfectly shaped and accentuated the curves of her upper body. Her hair was done nicely but simply, and I noticed that she was only wearing light makeup. I also sensed that I was far from the only one looking. I glanced around and noted that besides Cindy, who was unconsciously sizing her up with a strangle twinkle in her eye, several guys were also gazing her way, hooked by the perfect image of Sue Ann’s unintentional sexiness. Cindy was having a hard time speaking. In fact, she was stammering like a stupid fool!

 

“H-h-hi Sue Ann,” she stuttered.

 

“How are you doing? You look really cute in your outfit,” Sue Ann responded, repeating that same caressing hug she had given earlier that day. To the astute observer like me it was clear that what her body was really saying is _“You look so adorable, I just want to squeeze you and never let you go.”_ They continued the embrace… Umm, I mean platonic hug … for what seemed like a long moment, but I noticed Sue Ann catch something in her glance that caused her to let the other girl go abruptly. Sure enough Blair was standing a few feet away sporting a disgusted look on her face that she was making no attempt to hide. Uh oh, I suspect Blair’s on to it, which means that this is probably not going to turn out well for anybody – and _especially_ not for Cindy.

 

“T-t-thanks. I’m… fine, how are you?”

 

“I’m fine myself,” Sue Ann answered, nervously biting her lip. A blush seemed to be warming her face. In fact, both of them seem racked with nervous tension, and it was obvious to everyone, including Blair! It doesn’t help that she’s no slouch when it comes to reading people. The whole situation appeared to be making her sick – her eyes were narrowing, she was shaking her head, and she looked like she was gearing up to tear a strip off the two of them…

 

“Well… I just want to wish you good luck, Cindy.”

 

“Thanks,” Cindy gleamed back.

 

“With my beauty, she’ll need more than luck to beat me. Maybe she should go back to Beverly Hills and use the same plastic surgeon that works on Joan Rivers!” Blair suggested haughtily.

 

 “Maybe not - if I give you a black eye, then it would be _you_ who needs to see a plastic surgeon. Just give me a chance and I’ll gladly give you a reason to go visit Madison Avenue,” Sue Ann threatened in an angry whisper, inching closer to Blair.

 

“You don’t have the guts to do it, you Neanderthal hick!” Blair derided. While her words served as a tough exterior, her body was telling a different tale. That is, based on her trembling fingers and the slight twitch in her knees, I surmised that she was in fact scared as hell. The book states in black and white that any type of total body shaking is a sign of nervousness. It seemed to be getting ugly, so I stepped in to put a stop to it.

 

“Okay, you two, stop it!” I yelled, inserting my body between the two of them. “Blair, why don’t you go back to where you came from? We were doing fine until you brought your snout around here.” I couldn’t resist the Miss Piggy dig. Thank God she didn’t catch on…or did she?

 

“Fine, I’ll leave. It was getting boring anyways!” she huffed as she stormed off, her heels clicking angrily. In Blair’s absence Sue Ann switched her focus back to Cindy, and I could tell by the way those two were looking at each other that they were anywhere but on this planet. For a moment I debated whether I should interrupt them, or just observe them some more. I decided on the latter.

 

“Thanks for standing up for me. She was getting on my nerves,” Cindy stated in a tone of obvious relief.

 

“She gets on everybody’s nerves. She doesn’t know when to stop,” Sue Ann replied. Her irritation and anger towards Blair was written all over her face.

 

All of a sudden Mr. Bradley’s voice cut in, piped through the PA system. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Harvest Fair pageant will begin in 30 minutes. All contestants must come to the podium immediately.”

 

“Well, good luck!” Sue Ann chimed, giving Cindy yet another squeeze.

 

 “Thanks,” Cindy responded as she returned the gesture. The hug wasn’t as long or affectionate as before, but after it broke they gazed at each other for a good second before Cindy turned on her heel and strode towards the podium. Watching the two I sensed that I really needed to help them. Something inside of me told me that they were meant to be together - maybe not forever as in some old fairy-tale story - but definitely right now, in 1979.

 

“Hello folks, and welcome to the 1979 Harvest Fair Pageant sponsored by Abraham & Straus - NYC’s #1 department store! I’m your emcee for today, Steven Bradley, and I am here to help answer the question we’ve all been waiting for: who will be this year’s Harvest Queen!? Will it be a triple championship for the reigning Blair Warner?” He paused to allow the applause that erupted as Blair smiled and waved to the spectators, balancing her relish with a contrived expression of modesty. “Or will it be one of our two other challengers?” This last question also incited some applause, especially from me. Cindy stood happily waving to the crowd, and it pleased me to see her in such a happy mood.

 

“Okay, let’s begin. First up is a tenth grader from Alberta, Canada, eh?” That got a few laughs from the audience, while the contestant herself shot him a dismissive glance. “Sorry about that, I couldn’t help myself.” The crowd chuckled. “Let’s give a big hand for Kerry Andries!” The audience honored his request as the medium-height, longhaired, brunette paraded around the platform in her flowery bell-bottomed jumper suit. She strutted stylishly up and down the stage to show off her beauty as though she were on a catwalk in one of those Parisian fashion shows. The audience murmured appreciatively in response to her performance.

 

A few minutes later it was Cindy’s turn. “Thank you very much, Kerry. Now, our second contestant is an eighth grader from Tinseltown itself, Los Angeles, California. Please give a warm round of applause for Cindy Webster!” The crowd put their hands together as they spotted Cindy taking the stage. It was clear by the energy her body was emitting that she was enjoying the attention. He strut was lithe, betraying no nervousness or tension; in fact, the praise and adulation seem to be like a drug for her. Well Cindy, it’s no wonder why you like to show-off in softball or any other sport you play. It also explains why you’ve been so taken with tennis lately - it's mostly a singles event, and so the attention is squarely on you!

 

Sue Ann was seated not too far from me, and I noticed that Cindy’s gaze wandered back to her quite often as if she was screaming, _“Look at me! Can't you see that I'm special!?!”_

 

And the moment that the whole planet was waiting for (or that's what _she_ thought … it _was_ none other than Ms. Saks Fifth Avenue herself, Blair Warner, after all) arrived. “And now the final contestant, our two-time defending champion straight from Park Avenue - ninth-grader Blair Warner!” The crowd went crazy when he announced her name, and Blair soaked it up. She gave her trademark smile, and being the professional attention-seeker she was, waved like the Queen Mum. She was just like Cindy, absorbing all the attention like a sponge. You could tell that she was experienced in this sort of thing as she sashayed along the stage and gave her poses confidentially, moving as though she knew she had already bagged it. Watching the display made me more wishful that Cindy would win the pageant. After Ms. Universe-In-Her-Own-Mind finished her walk it was time for the judges to determine the winner.

 

“And now we will announce the new Miss Harvest Queen of 1979. Third place is...” One of the judges handed the envelope to Mr. Bradley with a dramatic flourish. “Kerry Andries!!!! Congratulations, Kerry!” The girl approached Mr. Bradley and shook his hand, graciously thanking him for the honor.

 

“And now … will it be the reining two-time champion, Blair Warner, or will it be the challenger, Cindy Webster? Judges?”

 

The judges put their heads together for a moment as though conspiring or trading last minute comments before one of them handed Mr. Bradley the fateful envelope. He opened it and an unmistakably disgruntled look flitted across his face before he regained his composure and announced: “And the winner is... Third time is indeed the charm …. Blair Warner!”

 

Blair became ecstatic, and simultaneously I became nauseated. I noticed Mr. Bradley fight off another sneering scowl, indicative of just how much he hadn't wanted her to win either. I chuckled to myself, as his reaction was just plain funny.

 

Blair took her win like she does everything else – she made a super big deal about it. She smiled her cheesy smile and acted like she was totally surprised. After a moment or two of initial celebration and glory basking she approached the mic and gave her usual crap.

 

“Thank you very much, thank you. It is such an honor to win the pageant in front of you wonderful people. I am so shocked to have won Harvest Queen for a third time in a row. Well, I suppose 'shock' is not the right word, maybe what I really mean is that I am in awe of, well, myself I guess!” She paused for a second at that, primping her hair and grinning. “I'd like to thank all the little people who have supported me through my reign as Harvest Queen...you all know who you are, and there are just so many of you, so there is no need to rattle off names -- that will just bore you,” she waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, back to my victory. I would also like to thank my challengers for competing against me this year. I know they put a lot of effort into it, but unfortunately in such events there can only be one winner. And, fortunately enough, it was me.” She gave her phony polite smile to both Cindy and Kerry as she said this. Cindy had a steamed look on her face as she glared coldly in return, and I couldn’t blame her. I myself wanted to slap Blair’s phony smile right off her face to end her façade, and I hadn’t even been a competitor.

 

“It’s hard to be humble when you are as blessed as I am, but I truly am. I would like to thank nature for giving me the beauty that I have. When you're as perfect as I am, things seem to go…” Suddenly Mr. Bradley grabbed the microphone from her. Thank goodness.

 

“Hey, what are you doing?” Blair protested, “I'm not finished yet!”

 

“Yes, yes you are. Thank you for coming out to the Harvest Fair Pageant. Enjoy the rest of your day and the Fair’s festivities. Goodbye, everyone!”

 

Cindy stood dejectedly on the stage as she watched Blair smiling and posing in front of the photographers. The third-place girl turned to Cindy and asked, “Can you believe this? She talks about how nature gave her that so-call beauty, and yet she’s not even a natural blond!”

 

Not breaking even a millimeter of her frown, Cindy retorted, “Yeah, just about everything about her is fake...”

 

Mr. Bradley approached the two girls a few seconds later. Later on she relayed their conversation back to me.

 

“Don't let it get to you, you'll have a better chance next year,” he had said encouragingly.

 

“Another year for Blair to beat me, you mean?” Cindy had answered sourly.

 

“Come on, Cindy, you have to think positively! I remember when I came in 2nd place for the Twist contest during my first year at Allegheny Teacher's College. And quite frankly, I too felt dejected.”

 

“The Twist? You mean that old dance?”

 

“Old!?! Why, that was the greatest dance of the 20th century. It was way better than any of that modern fancy-schmancy stuff John Travolta and Deney Terrio have come up with! Anyhow, the winner had taken first prize twice before, just like Blair. It didn't get any better in the following year - I did even worse, coming in 3rd. But in my junior year I was finally able to win it.” He emphasized his junior year triumph with a small air punch.

 

“Wow, that's great!” Cindy had chirped back, but in the back of her mind she was thinking _“I guess, if you consider a silly dance to be a crowning achievement...”_

 

“But the point I'm trying to make here, Cindy, is that as long as you are living, you will always have another chance to win, but _only_ if you go out and try. The only time you will never have that chance is when you _don't_ go out and try. Get my drift?”

 

“Yes, I do Mr. Bradley. Thanks for your encouragement.”

 

“No problem, that's what I'm here for,” he had responded, straightening his tie in satisfaction of a job well done.

 

“But, Mr. Bradley, what happened in your senior year. Did you defend your title?”

 

“Unfortunately, no. I sprang my hip and dislocated my shoulder when I participated in a ‘how many students can you fit into a Volkswagen Beetle’ contest.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s a sixties thing, don’t worry about it.”

 

“Oh... well okay, thanks...”

 

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It was a bit of a downer for Cindy. She had wanted to win so badly, and accordingly had put a lot of time and effort into it. Yet she still ended up short. Wretched and furious, she kicked the dirt on the ground and grunted in anger. I don't think I need to use any book references to explain to you how she was feeling. I tried to give her some comforting support, but it was tough going. Did I ever tell you guys how competitive she is? You should see her in a game of Monopoly (by the way, she always insists on being the Top Hat … I wonder what that means?)!

 

"Don't let it get to you, Cindy, the contest was pretty much rigged. One of the judges works for Warner Textiles,” I offered by way of consolation.

 

"Really? How did you find that out?"

 

"I heard him on the pay phone talking to Mr. Warner. He didn't think of trying to be more discreet, apparently."

 

Cindy just smacked her forehead in frustration and groused, "That's great. I just can't win."

 

A man in a striped tie and tan corduroy jacket strode towards us from out of nowhere and rudely cut into our conversation, totally ignoring me and fixating on Cindy. “I saw your performance today, and I was really impressed. In fact, I think you have _way_ more panache than that Warner girl.”

 

Cindy smiled, “Really? Do you mean it?”

 

“Of course I do! Your face is beautiful, and you have great bone structure. Plus, unlike Ms. Warner, your beauty seems to be natural. I think you would do very well in the world of modeling.”

 

“Modeling?” I asked skeptically. I’ve read plenty of stories in the New York Times about men who pretend to be photographers and agents. They offer promises and success to young girls, purportedly able to fill their dreams, only to do terrible stuff like raping them or taking naked photos of them. I was already weary of him.

 

“Yes. Here's my card. Contact me if you're interested,” he said, and then turned to leave just as quickly as he had arrived.

 

I looked at the card with Cindy. “Michael Petrie, Ad Exec, Wilmington Modeling," I read out loud.

 

“Wilmington Model? Isn't that who that model Gia works for?”

 

“I think so. Then again, I don't know much about modeling,” I shrugged. I don’t. I really don’t. I remembered myself after half a second. “After all, it’s _terribly_ degrading for women. What, parading around all made up, half naked and half sequined for men’s enjoyment? No thanks. You’d better think carefully before you go offer yourself as cog in _that_ machine.” The Harvest Queen contest was hardly the same thing, I thought to myself. A respectable contest in a girl’s school hosted by the often awkward and blustering Mr. Bradley was no glossy magazine cover – or centerfold!

 

“Well, nevertheless, this is so awesome!” she exclaimed very excitedly, ignoring my sage advice on the whole creepy industry.

 

“We need to see if he's at least legit before you go getting all wound up, Cindy. I think my dad knows a lawyer who can track this down,” I sighed loudly, taking another opportunity to voice my disapproval. The book says that the sigh is often a sign of passive aggression.

 

Cindy nodded, “Yeah, I don't want to end up like one of those kids out there. Trust me, I know. I’ve seen a lot of them in L.A.”

 

I was starting to get thirsty and wanted to change the subject. "Do you want me to get you a soda?"

 

She shrugged, "I guess that would be nice, but none of that Tab stuff!"

 

"Yeah, yeah..." I shot back. She hates Tab for some reason.

 

Shaking my head I walked towards the concession stand stacked high with caramel popcorn and hotdogs in search of non-Tab sodas. As I did, I caught sight of Sue Ann walking towards Cindy out of the corner of my eye.

 

"I'm still proud of you even though you came in second," she grinned, showing her perfect white teeth. Well, they aren’t _totally_ perfect. She does have quite an overbite.

 

I was only a few feet away, close enough to see and hear them, but far enough not to be intrusive. I watched them closely, taking note that Cindy blushed after that comment.  All the while I pretended to be deeply involved with the sodas.

 

"Uh... Thanks!"

 

"Look, next year we'll be more prepared so that we finally can beat her," she said with enthusiasm, trying to awaken Cindy’s fighting spirit. It worked - Cindy smiled back, her eyes shining.

 

"Yeah,” she smirked, “so that we won’t have to see Blair showing that fake smile of hers for once!"

 

"Yeah, I’d like that too. But really, you impressed the crowd out there and gave that rich snob a real run for her money today. They truly liked you," Sue Ann enthused, making a point that what Cindy had done was not in vain.

 

Based on her answer it sounded like Cindy had got the message loud and clear. "I sure did. I think I wowed the crowd more than Blair did, and I really enjoyed it." Yep, I was right about her, she's an attention seeker. "But I was really hoping that you would like it." And there was my proof that the attention she was seeking the most was Sue Ann's!

 

"I did. I absolutely did," Sue Ann grinned.

 

She proceeded to hug Cindy for the millionth time that day. I watched carefully, my mind absorbing every detail so that I could later refer to my book in order to consult on my interpretation. The hug was very similar to the one that she had offered when she decided to help Cindy out for the Harvest Queen Pageant, except this one was longer, and it looked like they were holding each other tighter. Further, it seemed that neither wanted to let the other go. I couldn't see what Cindy's face showed from where I was standing, half hidden behind a giant stack of blue cotton candy, but I could clearly see that Sue Ann had her eyes closed the whole time. This is a definite sign of attraction according to the book. I remember reading that when someone closes their eyes for longer than a second or two during a hug it means that they want an intimate connection with the other person. Eventually they let each other go and gave each other that glance again. They're lucky that there weren’t of people were around to see it. Their cheeks were as red as Maraschino cherries, the color creeping up from their necks. There was so much ‘static electricity’ between the two that I bet if I had put a plug from Yankee Stadium between them it would have lit up the entire stadium for a twelve-inning game! I guess that’s what they mean when they say ‘sparks are flying’ in reference to chemistry between a couple.

 

Both were starting to breathe heavily and neither could muster a word. Eventually Sue Ann managed to speak up. "I-I-I-I’ve got to help Mrs. Garrett out. I'll see you later."

 

"Yeah, I'll see you later," Cindy replied with a touch of sadness.

 

Sue Ann left quickly as though she was ashamed of herself. Cindy looked forlorn as she walked away, fading into the crowd. I saw her mutter something, but I wasn’t close enough to catch it. Later she told me what it was she had said -- "She just took my breath away..."

 

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I stayed late to help clean up, and so I didn’t get back to the house until around 9:15 PM. As soon as I walked into the room I heard stirring in the bathroom. It sounded like someone crying, and I easily figured out who it was since Tootie was with Natalie. I didn’t want to be nosy like Tootie, but my curiosity got the best of me. I crept slowly towards the door, which was slightly ajar, and snooped -- I mean peeked, I was _not_ snooping! There she was, sobbing in front of the mirror with makeup running all over her face and a tissue in her right hand. It looked like she had been crying for a while - her face was fully flushed and her eyelids were swollen. She was speaking to her own reflection in the mirror.

 

“Cynthia Webster, you are _not_ a normal girl.” She paused a bit to sniffle. “You’re gay. You like girls, and you’re in love with Sue Ann Weaver…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cindy finally realize about her true self during the night of Harvest Fair, how will she handle it the following day? However, what Cindy doesn't realize that there's yet another surprise waiting for her in the following day as well.

She emerged from the bathroom. Her face was flushed and solemn as she climbed quietly into her bed. I approached her blanket-clad body and asked, "Is there something wrong, Cindy?"

"No, nothing, but thanks for asking," She responded, her eyes hard.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I think I just need some sleep," she said gently this time. She uttered an audible sigh and rolled over to face away from me.

Just then the door to the room opened revealing a pajama wearing, pig-tailed, Tootie carrying a towel in one hand. She made her way to the bathroom as I switched on the nightlight and reached to turn off the room's main light. I clambered for a book that I had stowed under my bed and smiled with satisfaction as my fingertips brushed its glossy cover. I took a moment to contemplate its title -  _How to Read Others Before They Read You_  - another fascinating book in my ever-growing collection about body language and how to interpret it. It had helped me a lot to figure out both Cindy and Sue Ann where the first book was lacking, and I bet it will help me to figure out Blair! I felt an en evil smile stretch across my face as I entertained the many ways I could possibly get to that self-absorbed shrew with my new found skills.

 _"Oh, Blair, I'm going to expose you like you were Nixon!"_  I thought gleefully to myself.

I heard sniffles coming from Cindy's side of the bed throughout the night, and I knew that she was still crying about her recent revelation. I have to help her get over it and to realize that it's okay, that there's nothing wrong with her just the way she is. After all, who has the right to say who or what you should be attracted to? Why is the gender of the person important? If they bring joy and happiness to your life, what does it matter? There are so many things about the dominant views in our society that I just don't understand.

Cindy didn't stir at all the next morning when Tootie and I woke, which was really strange since she was normally the first one out of bed so that she could fit in her morning routine of stretches and crunches before breakfast. I noticed that her eyes were open just as I reached out to give her shoulder a gentle shake. She had covered most of her head with the blanket and was staring blankly at the wall next to her bed.

"Cindy, it's time to get up."

"No," she replied petulantly, "leave me alone."

"Come on now, you're going to be late!" Tootie exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter."

"Girl, what's wrong wit'cha!" Tootie questioned, her natural sass coming out.

"Leave me alone. I don't wanna talk about it!" Cindy responded dejectedly, punctuating her reply with a loud sniffle.

I turned to Tootie. "Let me deal with this myself, okay?"

"And miss out all the good stuff? Heck no!"

I rolled my eyes and groaned. I knew that in order to get my way I had to be like Vito Corleone and make her an offer she couldn't refuse. "How about if I help you out with your Social Science homework for the next two days, would that work?"

"Three, and you have to tell me everything that's going on," Tootie bartered. Darn, this girl knows how to drive a hard bargain!

"Okay, fine, but you have to swear that you will keep your mouth shut about this, or I'll let Cindy come after you … and you know that she can fight!"

"Mmm hmmm," Cindy's voice filtered through the sheets to back up my threat.

Tootie's eyes widened. "Okay… I promise," she gulped.

"Good, now get going so that Mrs. Garrett doesn't come looking for us."

When the door finally closed behind Tootie, I turned to bedding encased figure lying prone on the left bed.

"Cindy, can we talk?"

"What's there to talk about?" her muffled voice floated from underneath the blanket.

"A lot. I heard you crying last night. Something dramatic must have happened."

She turned over and removed the covers from her head to lock eyes with mine. "Well, if you insist. I just realized something about myself that I think is horrifying, and if I tell you I know you won't want to be friends with me anymore."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you'll probably find it disgusting," she replied miserably.

"There are many things that I find disgusting, but I doubt that something about you would be one of them. Does it have to do with what Blair said to you the other day?"

Cindy didn't respond to my question with words, but began to cry instead.

"Now, there," I said, offering her a shoulder. She propped herself against it as she wept. "Look, even if what she said about you not being normal is true, you shouldn't let it bother you. It may be a scary thing to come to terms with, but it's not as bad as you make it out to be. And it's not as bad as lots of other people make it out to be either," I offered by way of consolation.

"But what if the others think I'm disgusting? They'd hate me just like Blair does. Or even worse, I could get kicked out of the school for it."

"As for getting expelled, I won't let it happen, and I'm sure Mrs. Garrett wouldn't either – not without a serious fight. As for the others, they won't hate you because of it. Everyone stood by you when Blair called you that, remember? And if some people do, just ignore them – they're ignorant morons who aren't worth your time or energy. Seriously, you can't let this control your life. Do you want to spend all your time being miserable because of it?"

"No," she responded, straightening herself up and wiping her eyes.

"Then cheer up and don't let it get to you. Come on, let's get ourselves ready for class."

When we finally started for downstairs Mrs. Garrett was making her way up the bottom of the staircase with a determined look on her face.

"Oh good, I was about to come up and get you girls. You're running late!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Garrett, we slept in," I lied. "All that excitement from yesterday must have worn us out." I tried with all my might to keep a poker face as she eyed us carefully even though I knew it was futile. Lots of experience has taught me that you can't really fool her.

"Cindy, are you okay? You look kind of down."

"Yeah... I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's the matter?" Mrs. Garrett asked gently, placing her arm around the girl's shoulders as we proceeded down the steps.

"Aw, Mrs. Garrett, I lost to  _Blair_ in the Harvest Fair." I could tell by the flash of irritation that crossed her face when she mentioned it that it really did upset her, but I also knew that losing the title to the resident princess was the least of her problems.

"Don't let that bother you," I interjected encouragingly. "Yeah, she won - but so what? You were runner-up, and you proved to everyone that you can be feminine. And on top of all that you got Greg Hockney's attention," I finished with a grin.

Cindy smiled back. Her eyes agreed with everything but the last part. "Thanks, Molly."

"Now, come on - let's get our breakfast."

"That's a great idea, girls. You need to be on your way!" Mrs. Garrett piped up approvingly. She had been watching us talk out Cindy's sadness, and I knew she was happy with my encouragement. She was always pleased when we did our best to be optimistic and to support one another through our troubles.

The breakfast foods were still out on the countertop in the kitchen. Sue Ann and Natalie came through the swinging door just as we started to prepare our plates. Cindy was busy meticulously cutting a grapefruit into segments, so she didn't notice the pair's entrance until Natalie broke the silence with a volley of her busy chatter.

Sue Ann ignored her garrulous companion and sidled up to Cindy. "Congratulations again, Cindy. Too bad that you didn't win first place, but at least you gave Blair some much needed competition."

"Yeah, thanks," she said blushing to the roots of her hair like a schoolgirl reeling from her first crush. What am I saying? She IS a schoolgirl, this IS her first crush, and she IS reeling! Sue Ann wasn't much better; she stood in an awkward silence and gawked back. They carried their plates over to the breakfast table and pulled up adjoining chairs. Blair suddenly burst into the kitchen with a flourish, late as usual. Her eyes fixed immediately and firmly on the latent couple. She smirked as she turned away to busy herself with the oatmeal pot on the stove. For somebody so painfully self-centered, she seems to have a really good sense of noticing other people's body language!

"So, Cindy, how does it feel to be number two?" she asked, both figuratively and literally stirring the pot.

"Shut it, Blair," Sue Ann spat.

"I see, so you're her bodyguard now?"

Cindy rose from the table and strode over to the stove. She grabbed the other girl by her collar, and drawing her close gritted, "I don't need a bodyguard when I can take you on myself." Blair's eyes remained steely, but being the close observer that I am, I noticed that her pupils dilated in fear. Luckily Sue Ann pulled her back. Blair didn't say much after that; Cindy had straightened her out alright – no pun intended.

"Well, that taught her a lesson," Cindy declared with a smile.

"It sure did," Sue Ann agreed.

As they ate they repeatedly gave each other long glances while the other wasn't looking. Blair seemed to notice, but she kept to herself. She ate in stunned and angry silence, fearful of once again inciting the fury of Cynthia Webster. I must admit that I am enjoying the little game those two are playing. I might be mistaken, but I think Natalie noticed too before quickly averting her eyes and focusing on her hot cocoa and toast. Blair, on the other hand, barely looked away from the two other blondes, which once again makes me curious as to why she's so interested in their interaction. I'm gonna need to keep tabs on her - I think there's more to Blair's story than meets the eye….

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The rest of the week was more of the same. Cindy and Sue Ann kept flirting with each other as usual, yet neither seemed to want to want to make the first move out of fear of how the other would react. Similarly, Blair just kept on being Blair - spoiled and rotten. She was careful not to do anything to upset either Sue Ann or Cindy, but I noticed that she didn't seem to like it when they were together.

Near the end of the week Blair announced some 'good' news to Sue Ann as the girl was looking over her homework assignments on the couch. Cindy was seated within earshot at a table nearby oiling her new catcher's mitt, and I myself had a perfect view of the scene from my armchair. I pretended to be absorbed with a copy of the New York Times as I took it all in.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"Scott Dunbar the Third from Bates Academy wants to take you to the Bates Academy Dance as his date!" Blair enthused.

Judging by Sue Ann's face, it seemed as though the statement inspired both surprise and confusion. It took her a moment to gather her wits enough to react excitedly. "Really?" she exclaimed. Cindy's face, on the other hand, was a mask of total shock and horror.

"Of course. And you have Ms. Cupid here to thank for making it possible," Blair gloated. I mentally gagged a little. There was nothing grosser than the spectacle of Blair reveling about herself in the third person.

"I heard that he's a real catch!" Sue Ann bubbled with feigned delight.

"Of course he is! He has old money  _and_  new money."

"I knew guys like that back in Kansas City when I was at the Harry S. Truman school!"

"But the difference between those hicks and Scott is that Scott has real teeth!"

An angry look crossed both Cindy and Sue Ann's faces. What a hypocrite! As if she has the nerve to talk about 'real' - real blonds don't need a bottle the last time I checked.

Sue Ann recovered quickly. "Well... that's great! Thanks, Blair."

The deadly look that Cindy shot Blair was confirmation enough that she was livid as hell. I was surprised when Blair smirked in return. "Maybe I can get you one too?" she asked in a saccharine tone. I saw Cindy's fist clench and connect firmly with the center of her mitt.

"Hey, Cindy," Sue Ann called out, "isn't that great! Scott wants to go out with me!"

"Yes, it is," She responded brusquely, her gaze never leaving Blair. She folded her arms in front of her, both fists clenched, which was, of course, her body's way of showing her fury. Blair must have noticed, as she quickly averted her eyes and changed the subject.

"Hey, Sue Ann, I did this painting of a football player. You want to check it out?"

"Sure!"

Blair turned to face Cindy. "How about you?" She offered with a phony smile.

"No, no thanks," the girl answered as politely as she could muster.

"Oh yeah, they're not your type," Blair responded smugly.

Cindy got up quickly from her seat and barked, "How the heck do you know who my type is?"

"I was thinking of someone more like a … softball player."

It was clear that Cindy was about to explode. "Blair, some of us like our men with brains, not flailing around grunting like apes," I intervened quickly before things could escalate any further between the two of them.

Sue Ann must have also felt the need to quickly calm the storm by diverting Blair's attention. "Just show me your painting please," she said softly.

Blair responded with an obvious sense of relief, realizing that she might have once again have gotten in over her head. "Sure! I think you'll love it." The two of them headed for the other room.

I turned to Cindy, but she darted up the stairs before I could say anything to her.

"Well, at least she's taking this alright," I said to myself. My thought was interrupted by the sound of a bedroom door being slammed forcefully. "Then again, maybe I spoke too soon…"

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	5. Chapter 5

I proceeded slowly up the stairs and down the hall towards the room. It was pitch dark when I cracked the door and poked my head in, but I could hear intermittent sobs. I padded softly across the room towards the bedside lamp and flicked its switch, casting light on the sorrowful sight of Cindy splayed on the bed crying her heart out. I lowered myself gingerly onto the end of the bed and noticed that the light blue pillow by her head was mottled with dark blue patches where it was drenched with her tears.

"Cindy?" I asked softly. I sensed she couldn't hear me over her crying spell so I shook her leg gently and repeated her name more forcefully, "Cindy?"

She lifted her head from where it was buried in the sheets and looked at me from behind swollen eyes. She was an utter mess.

"Yes?" her voice crackled.

"Why are you crying?"

She was quiet for several moments as though collecting her thoughts before answering, "Probably because I'm jealous that Sue Ann has a boy to date."

"Or probably because you're jealous that Scott has a girl to date - and more specifically a girl who  _you_  want to date."

Cindy froze, stunned by my forward response. A moment or two passed before she responded with the only reaction she seemed capable of allowing herself: confusion. "Huh?"

"I know that you like Sue Ann a lot, Cindy." That seemed to shock her even more. The blood drained from her face and she looked at me from behind wide eyes.

"H-h-how do you know?" she uttered.

"I see how you look at her."

"Oh no…" she moaned as she began to cry even harder than before - if that was even possible.

"What's wrong?" I asked gently. I placed my hand on her back to comfort her, but she jumped up abruptly and pushed it away.

"Don't touch me, I'm sick!"

"Huh?" It was my turn to be confused - but mine was genuine. "You don't look sick to me. You sure don't have a fever."

"No, I don't mean like that. It's just that - I'm a queer!" she spat vehemently. "I'm a sick, dirty, nasty queer! A lesbian! Like one of those ugly women who dress like men. I've seen tons of them in West Hollywood! I'm one of those!"

"Listen, Cindy, you may be a lesbian, but you're sure not ugly, and there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's what makes you…you. I read a whole article in 'Nature' magazine about homosexuality in animals. Did you know that there are over a hundred species that practice it?"

Cindy peeked at me through her fingers. She had been clutching them to her face as though the whole topic we were discussing was just too much to face head-on. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's not like the abnormality people make it out to be. And it's  _definitely_  not unnatural, even though ignoramuses spout claptrap like that all the time. Also, you don't have to worry about me. In fact, I'll help you get her. I think she feels the same way that you do."

"But she said yes to Scott!"

"Just to please Blair … and to please herself."

Cindy looked at me uncomprehendingly with her lower lip trembling, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that she's probably in denial about her attraction to you."

Cindy seemed to mull over what I had said. The light bulb illuminated a moment later – the moment, I am guessing, when she remembered days of gazes and blushes and lengthy hugs given in the guise of congratulations and encouragement. "You're right! But what are we going to do about it?"

"We're going to the Bates Academy Dance!" I jubilated with a smile.

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About twenty minutes after my heart to heart with Cindy it was close to 8:00 pm Friday, which meant only one thing: it was time for The Dukes of Hazzard. Blair, Sue Ann, Natalie, Nancy, and Tootie were all downstairs crowded around the TV chattering excitedly. Cindy busied herself upstairs since she didn't have any interest in watching. I myself really, really, hate it, but I joined the maddening throng of squealing ladies in the living room. I wasn't planning to watch the show, you see, I was planning to watch  _Blair_  watching the show. And sure enough, when Bo and Luke swept onto the screen and all the girls went gaga Blair also made animated gestures, clutching her hands to her chest as she made fawn eyes and sighed loudly. But to me it seemed like she was yet again overacting. Not like William Shatner overacting, but pretty close. I continued to observe. A little later in the show I finally saw what it is she truly desires – in the form of Daisy Duke! Her eyes were more fixated on her than they had ever had been on Bo or Luke. Obviously she couldn't show her interest openly, but her eyes widened as they followed the woman on the screen, her cheeks flushed slightly, and I noticed that her hands fidgeted agitatedly with the hem of her blouse … I knew she was a closet case! I made a mental note to undertake further investigation on Wednesday at 9:00 during Charlie's Angels.

I felt triumphant to have caught Blair's reactions, but it also left me confused. How could her disgust for Cindy be so strong if she is also attracted to women? Maybe she sees that part of herself in Cindy and can't tolerate it? Or maybe it's the fact that Cindy lets herself be true instead of putting on a masquerade. Those are the only things I could think of for the moment. When I snapped out of my thoughts I noticed Blair's full attention was focused on Catherine Bach. Oh, Blair, you are busted, woman!

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"What? No, I won't dye my hair blond for you!" Nancy spat into the receiver. Cindy and I were lounging on the couch playing Chinese checkers. Since the phone table was a mere few feet away we were privy to every word on her side of the conversation. She was so caught up with Roger that she didn't seem to register our presence. She is so ridiculously attached to that phone and to Roger on the other end that she probably wouldn't even notice if we had a nuclear meltdown in the likes of Three Mile Island! I make a point of not listening to much of her conversation, whereas it seems to be Tootie's and Natalie's favorite pastime. Cindy enjoyed listening once in a while as well. This time, however, I knew that she was hanging out nearby because Sue Ann was about to call Scott, not because she had any interest in the day's episode of the Nancy-Roger sagas. "But Farrah Fawcett is overrated!" Nancy protested, "Don't you know that brunettes are all the rage now? Really! That Italian girl Gia is all over Vogue and Cosmopolitan." I wanted to interrupt that Gia isn't Italian, but Italian-American from Philly, but I thought the better of it. Nancy seemed steamed.

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that," Cindy - the natural blond - jokingly mumbled to herself. I chuckled, but I agree with Nancy: blondes are overrated. Sorry, Cindy.

Sue Ann came barreling down the stairs and eyed Nancy with visible impatience.

"So, where do you want to go after the dance? Ooh, that sounds nice. I really do want to do that. Just hold on a second." Obviously she had sensed the eyes beaming into her skull. She turned to face an agitated looking Sue Ann and hissed, "Scram, Blondie!"

Sue Ann stood her ground, unfazed. "Nancy, will you get off the phone for once? You don't own it, and besides, you do know that there's life outside of the world of Ma Bell, don't you?"

"Of course I do! But I'm talking to Roger, the love of my life." She delivered the last part rather dramatically.

"Well, the 'love of your life' can wait! Get off the phone, or else…"

"Or else what?"

Sue Ann smiled wickedly. "Or else…" she began to project her voice as she announced towards the phone, "Hey Roger, Nancy was eyeing more than just the donuts when the delivery boy Steve brought the groceries other day!" A shocked look came over Nancy's face, and she quickly hung up the phone. "I'll get you for this!" she sneered as she stalked away in another of her dramatic rages.

Seconds later the phone rang – just like on a TV show!

Sue Ann blanched. "Hey, Cindy, do you mind answering the phone for me?"

Cindy responded with a frosty look and an icicle of attitude, "Why should I?"

"Because I don't want to seem anxious," Sue Ann huffed.

I had a feeling that this had a high blow-up potential, so I intervened to curb the mounting volatility, "I'll answer it."

Cindy looked at me incredulously, but I ignored her as I plucked the receiver from the phone.

"Hello, who is this? Scott Dunbar the Third? Who do you want to speak to? Sue Ann Weaver? Hold on let me see if she's here." I looked over at Sue Ann who was anxiously biting her fingernails. I couldn't tell if she really wanted to go through this or not.

"How does he sound?" she whispered.

"He sounds like he could be a Kennedy, and like he could've been bred for Harvard. Is he from Boston?" I asked, muffling the mouthpiece with my hand.

"He  _is_ related to the Kennedys, and, yes, he  _is_  from Boston. Isn't he friends with your buddy, Greg?"

"Yeah, but I've never met him. He's only been at Bates a few months." I handed her the phone even though she was looking positively green, and retired to the couch next to Cindy to watch how the conversation would unfold.

"Why, Molly? Why?" Cindy whispered angrily through clenched teeth.

"Cindy…" I started to explain quietly. "Sometimes you have to let people figure out what it is that they want in their own time. Besides, it wasn't Scott's fault that Blair came up with this scheme, and it would be rude for Sue Ann to not talk to him when he called. Maybe she'll tell him she has other plans - that she has to wash her hair or something."

"Or write a poem?" she asked with a slight hint of mockery. "Anyway, I hope so," She added.

"Hello, Scott? Yes, Blair said you'd call. So you're from Beantown? Wow, that's so cool. Well, I'm from Kansas City, Kansas."

Cindy sat rocking gently on the couch muttering to herself and glaring in the direction of the conversation transpiring across the room. "I can't believe she's going through this."

"Cindy, don't worry about it too much."

"Don't worry? Are you kidding? He's got connections and wealth. From what I've heard, he letters in many sports, including fencing,  _and_  he's on the Debate team,  _and_  the Student Council. He's even a  _Kennedy_. How could I possibly compete with all that?"

"It's just a beginning, nothing has happened yet at all. Besides, maybe he'll do something to turn her off."

"…You can get me an autographed photo of Jackie Kennedy Onassis?" Sue Ann's voice floated towards us. "You're so awesome!"

Or, maybe not…

"…Yes, I do live on a farm, and I can drive a tractor trailer, but that doesn't mean that I'm a backward yokel." There was a pause, which presumably indicated her listening to Scott's response. "Do I want to boogie? What do you mean by that?"

We both cracked up. "She doesn't know what 'boogie' means," I said, elbowing Cindy good-naturedly in the ribs.

"Oh, shut up, you two!" she barked at us, which just made us laugh even harder.

"Well, okay, I'm looking forward to seeing you at the dance on Saturday. Goodbye."

She turned to us as she replaced the phone in its cradle. It was clear that she was doing her best to look excited, but she wasn't doing a very good job. "Hey, Scott agreed to be my date for the dance, isn't that cool?"

"Yeah, that's really cool!" I answered uneasily. Thank goodness that  _she_  doesn't read body language.

She looked pointedly at Cindy and asked, "What do you think?"

"Yeah, that's great," Cindy muttered before she sprang up for the couch and made for the stairs. A concerned look crossed Sue Ann's face, which makes me think she knows what's really going on, and that she isn't so naïve as she makes herself seem. She turned quickly and headed out of the room. And there I was, left standing by myself wondering how this would all turn out. Oh boy…

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On the night of the dance, Sue Ann was standing in front of the mirror clutching her dress. It was similar to the one that Blair had been wearing the night she had gotten all gussied up for a big date with some boy, only to be interrupted by a meltdown she had because her mother was acting vampy with some old man with a strange name. Cindy stood silently, staring vacantly at her reflection for what seemed like an extraordinarily long time. It was clear that she was doing some soul searching.

"Are you excited about your date?" I asked with enthusiasm. As she turned to face me a look of worry crossed her face, but she quickly turned into a rather forced smile. She was anything but happy.

"Yes, I am. I can't believe that Scott would be interested in dating a country girl like me! It's like an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Not really. Besides the fact that he's high class, you two do share quite a few similarities: you're both very smart, ambitious, and blond."

Sue Ann smiled, "That's true. I guess that's why he's considered a catch."

"I see. Can I be honest with you?"

"Yes, go right ahead."

"Do you really want to go out with Scott?"

Her face twitched slightly as though she had been caught in a fib. The book notes that kind of tic as one of the ways a face betrays a betrayal. There was also a tinge of hesitation in her answer.

"Yes… very much so. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious. It seems as though you're not really that anxious to go out with him."

My question seemed to step up her anxiety even more, and she avoided eye contact with me when she responded, "Well, it's probably because I'm nervous about all this. I mean, I'm dealing with high-class stuff here. So, who are you going with?" She finished, changing the subject. Her obvious discomfort with the topic further confirmed to me that she really wasn't that interested in him. This was a date we were talking about – she should've been way more responsive! I learned this from another book titled 'Read Between The Lines.'

"I'm not going with anyone, unless you consider Cindy to be my date!" I joked, but Sue Ann didn't seem to take it as funny – well, her body didn't anyway. She clenched her teeth and tightened her lips together for a split second as a show of anger. Why wouldn't she just admit that she wanted to go to the dance with Cindy? "Just kidding!" I chimed, and then forced a laugh. Her body relaxed again and she laughed with me. "Neither one of us has dates, but we're still going."

"Well, don't let Blair catch wind of it - she'll come after you!" she kidded.

"She probably would. Don't you think Blair has been too harsh on Cindy lately?"

"Totally. I wanted to slap her when she told her that her type is softball players. After all, boys don't play softball." I know that she can be naïve, but her comment indicated that I had underestimated to what extent! No, Sue Ann, there  _are_ boys who play softball. There's a men's softball team right near my hometown. Sue Ann's whole body tensed as she continued, "She's been acting real mean towards her lately. This never happened before. It's like she changed during summer time."

Well, there's a clue. They've known each other for a few years before this, and she never accused her of being a lesbian until now. Something must have happened in the summer to turn her against Cindy.

"I know. She's always been, well… rather snobby, but she has really become witchy lately. And I really hate calling other women 'witchy,' but she's totally earned it! Maybe 'prig' is a better word…" I mused out loud.

Sue Ann replied, "Just because she dresses like a boy, doesn't mean that she wants to be a boy, or that she has the same desires that a boy does…right?"

Her face showed a lot of confusion as she asked. I didn't blame her.

"That could be true. Blair is assuming that she's a lesbian just because she's such a tomboy, but there are tons of tomboys who are straight."

"That's also true." Sue Ann replied. "But no matter what, Cindy still doesn't deserve the way Blair is treating her. She's kind, wonderful, and sweet. And she's great company. She's really smart and knows a lot about sports. She once told me about the soccer clubs in England. I had never ever heard anything about Aston Villa or Nottingham before. I also remember this one time when we were at the park, and we..."

Presumably she enjoyed Cindy as a topic for discussion, as that's all she talked about the next five minutes solid. It was clear that Cindy meant something to her. To me it confirmed that she really did love her.

"I see. Well, I better get ready for the dance too."

"Okay, then."

I left the room knowing that I had a lot of work to do, for Sue Ann is in deep, deep, denial about Cindy.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the night of the Bates Academy Dance, one of the few times that we Eastland girls got to mingle formally with the boys from the prestigious institution. Part of me was excited, but the other cynical part couldn't help but feel like the whole thing was a giant heteronormative ploy. The posters plastered all over campus of men and women dancing together were like instruction booklets for a happy, straight, allegedly well-adjusted, conformist lifestyle. If you ask me, they should have been more inclusive and printed posters of women dancing with other women and men dancing with other men. They would never do such a thing, of course – after all, everyone who knows anything knows that 'the establishment' is just a bunch of narrow-minded jerks. Then again, even if the school administration could, they'd likely get in trouble from the myriad Republican voting parents. Maybe, I thought, I could get Natalie to write an article on the whole conspiracy side of it for the school paper. She loves to write about controversial topics even though she just got started in journalism class.

What I did know for sure is that all of my friends had different expectations of the outcome of the night, and I felt like it was my job to make sure that nothing blew up in anyone's face. For Blair it was an opportunity to make all the other girls jealous as she pranced about with Greg Hockney in her arms. Judging by his body language, however, it seemed that he would have rather been anywhere else. It was like he was a rat trapped in a cage – a rat desperately looking for an opportunity to escape! For Sue Ann the night was her opportunity to become Scott's girl, and it was Cindy's opportunity to make sure that Sue Ann did  _not_  become Scott's girl. It had more or less all the ingredients for a perfect teen drama storm.

The large room was decked out with all of the usual things you would expect from a high-school dance. There was food, the ubiquitous (and apparently inescapable) disco music, cheesy banners all over the place, and yes, somebody did spike the punch…! Scott paraded around in his topsiders, posing with Sue Ann as though she were some sort of trophy. Although Sue Ann seemed to be trying to make herself feel comfortable about it, the way she held her body betrayed a certain distance as though she were instinctually resisting him.

Blair was primping and strutting as usual, all the while with Greg at her side. They had come as a double date with Nancy and Roger – the latter, I noted, was checking out other women …. most of them blondes. What a dog he is! How does she put up with him? I also noticed that Greg was stealing sly glances at Cindy when Blair was busy gazing at her reflection in her compact or poofing her hair. Greg spotted me as I walked by.

"Hey, Molly, what's up!" he called out.

"Oh, hi, Greg!" I shouted back, making myself heard over a particularly dismal Donna Summers song. Of course Blair had taken notice of me since her date had.

"So, Molly, where's your date? Or did you scare him away with your politics?"

Greg's head snapped back at her comment, and his face showed a touch of anger as he blurted, "Leave her alone." Blair looked shocked by the defense he had mounted for me, but immediately shut her mouth. "So, where's Cindy?" he asked, trying to sound casual. Nice try Greg, you know exactly where she is!

"She's sitting over there, next to the wall," I responded as I pointed to wallflower Cindy who was smiling and surveying the crowd. It seemed as though she was paying particular attention to Sue Ann and Scott.

"Why do you care about her?" Blair snapped with annoyance. As if coming to my defense hadn't been enough, he was now asking after her arch-nemesis!

"Can't I be curious?"

"Not with a girl you were flirting with at the Harvest Fair!"

Uh-oh, this was about to escalate. Blair was playing the jealous girlfriend role, yet surprisingly there did seem to be a genuine sense of envy transmitted by her body this time. My mind quickly ran through the possibilities: was she jealous because he liked Cindy, or was it because he wasn't paying attention to her? This  _was_  Blair Warner we were talking about, and she  _is_  all about attention, whether it's from a guy or a girl. The book does not clearly describe the differences. I'll probably have to go consult some other literature on that, but what was for sure is that her eyes, hands and tense muscles were hinting at a bit of the old green-eyed monster.

"Look, Blair, I was not flirting with her!"

"Yes, you were! I saw it with my own eyes, Greg."

"No, I wasn't!"

I figured a verbal spar was as good a time as any to return to my seat, which was right next to Cindy's. She was sitting immobile and seemingly transfixed. I bet that in all the time I had been gone her eyes had never left the sight of Sue Ann for more than ten seconds. Sue Ann returned the gaze every now and then from where she and Scott were standing, which wasn't too far from where we were seated.

Finally the so-called couple hit the dance floor as the DJ spun recycled radio hits. Unfortunately most of it was that brain-numbing trash called Disco. Blah! I'll say it again - I hate Disco! It's just mindless, repetitive noise. I'd take the Joans - Armatrading and Baez that is - over those lame acts any day!

Anyhow, back to the story. Cindy was watching them like a hawk while they were dancing. One guy approached her and asked her to dance. Looking irritated, she rejected the offer. She barely took her eyes off the couple during the entire rebuff. No one had tried to fit me onto their dance card, and so I was feeling a bit dejected. I figured that we could both use a few minutes focused on something other than the dismalness at hand, so I brought up about the upcoming Biology test. That diversion went well at first, but then she got up abruptly and left her seat. She strode across the dance floor towards the couple with a determined look on her face and asked Sue Ann for a dance, which I must admit was a bold move. I got up to get a better view of the action, and was able to catch some of their back and forth with the lip-reading skills I had been practicing. The rest Cindy told me later on.

"May I cut in?" Cindy asked.

"Sure!" Sue Ann replied, seeing it as nothing more than harmless fun.

"Hey, who is this?" Scott asked. He wasn't offended; in fact it looked like he was excited that he saw another good-looking girl.

"This is my friend Cindy Webster."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Cindy said as she offered her hand. Judging by the way she was looking at him I'm surprised that she hadn't spit in it first.

"Scott Dunbar the Third, nice to meet you."

Cindy proceeded to shake her booty on the dance floor, and Sue Ann joined her. Scott looked like he was in heaven as he watched the girls moving to the music with each other. Sue Ann turned around and drew him in order to dance with both of her suitors at the same time. Cindy didn't seem to want any of that, so she kicked it up a notch in order to impress Sue Ann.

To me it looked more or less like a competition. Scott, of course, was oblivious to this fact. Cindy was like a peacock, showing off her best feathers in order to lure Sue Ann. She appeared to be reaching deep into her dance-move repertoire to maintain the woman's undivided attention. I also noticed, however, that she was enjoying the attention of the crowd, many of whom had stopped what they were doing to watch the spectacle. The pageant was not a one-time thing - she was truly an attention-seeker, and no better than Blair in that respect!

Speaking of Blair, it looked like she was annoyed that everybody's attention was focused on Cindy's show, and not her. To make matters worse, Greg was no exception. His eyes seemed to intently follow each of Cindy's bodily movements. Blair was no slouch when it came to dancing, but Cindy was in a league of her own.

Cindy made sure that her dance moves took place  _between_  rather than  _around_  Scott and Sue Ann. I was a bit worried that he would notice what she was doing, but it was clear that Sue Ann was very impressed. Hell, most of the people surrounding her were as well – Cindy was really strutting her stuff! All of a sudden the song 'I Want Your Love' by Chic - one of the very, very, very, few Disco acts that I like – came on. As Cindy gyrated and swaggered, she lip-synched the lyrics of the song.

" _I Want Your Love, I Want – Your Love_ " she mouthed to Sue Ann in a comedic fashion. Sue Ann took this as all part of the act, as did Scott and the crowd of onlookers that had gathered. Only I was aware of the truth underlying the act. Thank God, because she would have been in serious trouble. Blair, on the other hand, was watching another one of her giant evil smirks plastered across her face. Evidently, she too knew what was going on. I don't like that one bit!

Everything on the dance floor itself was going fine until the violin part of the song came on, at which point Cindy seemed to get caught her in own feet. "WHOA!" she exclaimed, stumbling towards Sue Ann and instinctively flailing her arm out to catch her fall. Sue Ann caught her in an awkward embrace.

"Cindy, are you okay?" she panicked.

"I'm fine," she responded. Their eyes met meaningfully, and for a quick moment it was obvious how they both felt for each other. It didn't make matters any easier that strands of Cindy's blond hair were brushing against Sue Ann's cheek – nor did the fact that Cindy's soft yet toned body was pressed up against the other woman's. It looked like as though Sue Ann desperately wanted to hug her back. She was blushing yet she seemingly unaware of it. A stunned look had registered on Scott's face as he observed the scene. Had he figured out that Cindy was his competition, or was he still just shocked about the fall? I couldn't tell by his reaction.

"Come on, Sue Ann, let's go get some more punch," he uttered as he snapped out of his dumbfounded silence. Sue Ann nodded and followed him after a moment with what seemed like a touch of reluctance.

Cindy watched the two disappear, and with a look of feigned nonchalance examined her nails with a twinkle in her eye that seemed to proclaim "Cindy 1, Scott 0." After a moment she turned to me and gallantly swept her arm forward for me to take it, a gesture meant as an invitation to join her on the dance floor. Sue Ann was peering back, seemingly longing for Cindy without really realizing it.

"Well, I see that you're happy," I remarked.

"I sure am. It seems that I left quite an impression on her!"

"Yeah, but I think you left one with Scott too. I can't say for sure, but he seems to have at least suspected something."

Cindy thought about it for a split-second before acknowledging what I said. "Oh no, you're right! That's why he took her to the punch bowl."

"Yep, so that she'll be far away from you and your dance steps." A look of concern clouded her face, so I offered a quick reassurance, "Don't worry about it. I doubt that it'll go any further. It's probably best not to press any further, you might just end up making things worse."

"But what if she wants a second date? …. What if they kiss?" she asked the second question in a terrified tone.

"Sue Ann's a prude, Cindy. I really doubt she'd let anyone kiss her on the first date. And as for a second date? Don't worry about it, we'll find a way around it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just have fun for now. After all, how often do we get the chance to be out at night?"

Cindy reluctantly agreed. She can be such a tiger sometimes, and I fear that could really get her in trouble given the wrong circumstances …. Circumstances such as  _these,_ for instance. Surprisingly though, she managed to relax. We whiled away the evening people watching and exchanging our thoughts on what we saw until an anxious looking boy ambled up and asked me to dance.

"M-m-may I dance with you ma'am?" he stuttered with a Southern accent. He was a short, portly fellow, with black hair and thick glasses framing his round face.

"Sure," I said to him. I turned to Cindy, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yep," she smiled, "just fine." I think she was happy that someone had finally asked me to dance.

I followed my suitor out to the dance floor where he gingerly placed his sweaty hands around my waist. Then, just like clockwork, Greg approached Cindy and asked for a dance. I wondered where Blair was as Cindy nodded her acceptance. Little did I know that she and Greg had had an argument outside the auditorium after which she had stalked off. Oh well.

All of a sudden the disco hits gave way to the unmistakable introductory recorder chords of perhaps the longest slow (or at least mostly slow) song known to late twentieth century man, the anthem of all school dances, of broken hearts and day-glo dens alike …. Stairway to Heaven. Sue Ann was still dancing with Scott, and Cindy was dancing with Greg, which didn't stop either of them gazing at one another over their respective companions' shoulders. I couldn't observe as much as I wanted to I too was on the dance floor too for once.

During our dance I found out that wooer's name was Ralph, and that he was a card-carrying Democrat! He's also into political activism, considers Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather to be his heroes, and he's trying to start a recycling program back home in Austin, Texas. I think I'm in love…

It was painful to see those two reduced to pining glances, but perhaps more painful to acknowledge that even if they had been a full-out couple they still wouldn't have been able to dance in public. It would cause a huge scandal, and the school would react by kicking them out in a second and taking away Sue Ann's scholarship. Again I was struck by the unfairness that they would have to go through all that just because society considers their love to be abnormal.

When the song was over, everything immediately reverted to party mode between Scott and Sue Ann as he made every effort to keep her a good distance from Cindy. That's one point for Scott.

As the dance was winding up, Greg feebly attempted to make his move on Cindy. "It was really awesome dancing with you. Can I see you again some time?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," she responded rather bluntly.

Greg pulled out his crooked smile from his arsenal of allure in attempt to charm her like he does with all the other girls. I'd seen it a kazillion times before - I'd known the guy since I was seven!

"What's the matter? It's just going to be casual like. We could head out to a movie, or …"

"I understand, but you're not really my type."

"Aw, what's wrong? I'm not a bad guy once you get to know me."

"I'm sure you're not, but I'm not interested in dating anyone right now, thank you."

She gave me an intense look to telegraph her discomfort, "Hey, Molly, let's get Sue Ann so we can leave."

I turned to my new 'date' and said, "I'll be back, I need to get my friend."

"No problem ma'am!"

I found Sue Ann with Scott in the otherwise empty hallway. I beckoned her over with a wave of my arm and called out, "Hey, Sue Ann, it's time for us to go."

Apparently Scott had other plans.

"You girls go on without me, Scott said he'll bring me home after we hit the diner for some late night snacks." A chill rolled over me as she said 'late night snacks.' My instinct told me it wasn't a good scene.

"Don't be so naïve, Sue Ann, come with us," Cindy said flatly as she joined me at my side. The auditorium door she had just come through tapped shut behind her.

"Look, I won't harm her - I promise," Scott offered with a cool smile, picking up on the marked tension. "Besides, it's not like we're going to be alone. A couple of my buddies and their gals are coming along as well. I'd invite you two as well, but we're already tight on space in the van."

Another shudder rippled through my body at the word 'van.'

"Scott man, let's get a movin'!" a friend of his called out from further down the hallway.

"Alright, coming! Well …. see you ladies later," he said with a small wave as he took Sue Ann's hand in his. I could see tears welling up in Cindy's eyes as it dawned on her that the final score rested at Cindy 1, Scott 2. She turned quickly and walked away, her footsteps echoing down the hall towards the nearest exit. I tried to follow her but she called over her shoulder, "Please, just let me be by myself. I don't want anyone me around right now."

"Come on, Cindy," I offered from where I stood, several feet behind her.

"Please, Molly," she said, tears audibly choking her voice as she pushed open the door in front of her and let herself out into the night. Ralph appeared just as I was about to chase after her.

"It was great meeting you, ma'am. How can I contact you?"

"Please, call me Molly. Calling me ma'am makes me feel old! Though I must say that I respect your veneration." I signaled him to follow me back into the auditorium where I found a pen and paper lying on one of the tables. I wrote down our house's number.

"Here's the number for my dorm. If a girl named Nancy answers tell her to get the heck off and that Roger will call her some other time!"

Ralph laughed in response, "Okay, I will. Have a great night …. Molly." He bowed awkwardly, and clutched my hand to his lips to plant a quick kiss. He's such a gentleman! It was my turn to blush like crazy and for my time clock to go off! I was in love! Now I know how Cindy felt. Although my reaction probably wasn't as powerful as hers towards Sue Ann, the feeling was amazing!

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Midnight struck and Mrs. Garrett's anxiety was peaking - the dance had ended hours before, and Cindy still hadn't returned. Even Sue Ann had made it home by that point. She seemed equally worried about the missing girl.

"Where's Cindy? She knows full well that curfew was midnight," Mrs. Garrett asked as she paced back and forth in a feeble attempt to alleviate her nervous tension.

"I don't know, Mrs. Garrett," Tootie offered. "The last time I saw her she was walking out of the ballroom."

"Cindy told me that she needed some time by herself when she left," I piped up.

Mrs. Garrett looked shocked and a little bit upset. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place, Molly?"

"Sorry, Mrs. Garrett, but she was just really about something that happened at the dance." I left it there because I couldn't come up with a good lie. Luckily enough, I didn't have to as Mrs. Garrett drew her own conclusion about what had happened.

"Ahhh, some boy broke her heart, huh?" she asked knowingly.

"You could say that," I replied. It was true …. with a slight twist.

"Well, that's awful. I hope she comes home soon - I really don't want any of you girls out there at this time of the night. Molly, you should have told me."

"I'm very sorry."

"Well, if she's not back within the next 15 minutes I'll have to call the police!"

Fortunately, that wasn't necessary. About a minute after the words had left Mrs. G's mouth there was a knock on the door. Cindy was standing miserably in the light cast from the front porch.

"Cindy, we were really worried about you!" I admonished.

"I'm okay, I just had some thinking to do."

I noticed that Sue Ann appeared briefly at the top of the stairway but disappeared just as quickly. I think she knew that she was partially responsible for causing Cindy to be so upset and to wander off by herself.

"Girl, what's wrong with you?" Tootie asked.

"Nothing's wrong with me," Cindy responded sharply. "Where's Sue Ann?"

"I think she's upstairs in her room."

For some reason it seemed that Natalie, who had been standing by as anxiously as the rest of us, was immediately tuned in to Cindy. I'm beginning to think that she knows what's going on…

"Cindy, if you have a boy problem, you should come and talk to me about it instead of disappearing like that," Mrs. Garrett advised.

Cindy's face betrayed that she didn't know how to react to what the woman had said. Usually Mrs. Garrett seemed to know everything about us before we did, but for some reason she hadn't picked up on the fact that the object of Cindy's affections was not a boy…and that's probably a good thing.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. G., but I needed some time to sort things out."

"I understand, but we were concerned about you. I thought the worst could have happened to you."

"I can handle myself, it's okay."

"It's not that I don't think that you can handle yourself, it's the rest of the world that I can't trust. Anything could happen to you out there at this time of night. You do understand, don't you?"

"Understood," she replied sulkily as she climbed the stairs. She didn't cry that night, but I knew that there was much pain in her heart.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie speaks in this chapter, as she was able to get Molly's journal.

Hi, this is Natalie speaking. I'll be your narrator for the evening because I know all the juicy bits since I happen to be Sue Ann's roommate. Besides, everyone knows that  _I'm_ the journalist, so where does Molly get off thinking she can write this story better than I can? She was writing all this down in her journal, and believe it or not, I was able to get my hands on it. How exactly did I get a hold of Molly's diary, you ask? That's for me to know, and you to find out.

After the whole dance debacle, I found Sue Ann in our room staring at the wall like a zombie.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked. I had wanted to be a little more delicate, but subtlety isn't always my forte.

"Nothing."

"Well, it must be something. You look like the recently dead staring at the wall like that. You'd think it was brainnnnnnnnz …." I said, sticking my arms straight out and doing my best to look blank and half-dead. There I was, trying to interject a little levity in an otherwise dark situation, but based on Sue Ann's response it went unnoticed … or at least unappreciated.

"It's… you won't understand."

"Try me," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Okay then - do you know what it's like when you've got what everyone considers to be a great thing, yet you know in your heart it's not what you really want?"

"Yeah, like the other day when I had a Big Mac, but all I really wanted was a Filet-O-Fish."

"No! I'm being serious, Natalie," she replied scornfully.

"Alright, alright. Are you talking about that guy Scott by any chance?"

"Yeah. Everyone knows he's one of the hottest guys in Peekskill, but I don't really feel anything for him."

"Well," I reasoned, "maybe it's just because he's not the one."

"I guess so. I wish he was though."

I knew it! I knew she had the hots for some other guy! "You do? Why?"

"Because it would make things wayyyyyyy less complicated."

"Less complicated?" Hmmm… was he an old guy? Married? Could he be a prisoner? Was he Jewish? Not that there's anything wrong with being Jewish …  _I'm_  Jewish. But what could the complication be?

"Yes,  _much_  less complicated. People would smile when they saw me holding hands with him. Other girls would be jealous of me when we went out. I know my parents would be proud to have someone like him as my boyfriend. And if things worked out, we would eventually get married and have beautiful babies together."

I laughed at that, "Wow! It sounds like you think that Scott is a groovy catch! He may be less complicated, but you'll be more miserable."

Sue Ann, still lying on the bed, turned her head to look at me. "That's true," she replied earnestly.

The conversation had reached a point where I figured I just had to point-blank ask. "So let me guess, is there someone else in your heart?"

Sue Ann cast a glance towards the BRAINZ-wall again and sighed deeply, "Yes, there is, but it's much more complicated, and I don't want to say who it is at this moment. I don't even know if I'm really in love with them."

There's no need to reveal anything Sue Ann, I'll do my own investigating - but it better not be that hunky delivery boy Steve, because he's mine!

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The next day Sue Ann asked me for a favor.

"Hey, Natalie, do you mind coming with me to see Scott at the diner later?"

"Um... Why, may I ask?"

"Well, my mom always told me that unless you're really sure, that it's best to carry a gal friend with you just in case."

"But why not Cindy? She's your best friend, after all."

"She told me that she's got a ton of homework to do, especially that Biology assignment."

"Oh, I see. I told her she should have been working on that instead of playing basketball and watching 'The Jeffersons' with Tootie." Ahh, yes...the safety net. I'm to make sure that Scott doesn't do anything more than just to talk to her. Besides, it doesn't sound like a date, so I can still go. In fact, it should be interesting, and it might help me get to the bottom of Sue Ann's seemingly endless angst. And best of all, it involved attractive young men. "Well, okay, but you have to help me with my Algebra homework first - those polynomials are driving me crazy!"

Sue Ann drew a small yet sweet smile. "Don't worry, Nat. I'll help you out."

"Cool! So when do we go?"

"In about two hours. So get ready."

"Solid!"

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We arrived at the diner at four p.m. on the dot and sat one of the tables near the window. Interestingly enough, it was the boys that were late. Hah! But I'm a New Yorker, and Sue Ann's a very punctual Midwesterner, so we don't play around when it comes to time and appointments.

When Scott finally arrived he also brought a buddy with him - Greg Hockney! Damn - he had anticipated Sue Ann's move! I saw Greg do a double take at me when they spotted us. Was he expecting someone else … like Cindy, perhaps? I mean, it  _would_  make sense. Tootie and I go everywhere together, for example, so it would be perfectly reasonable for him to think that Sue Ann would have asked Cindy to come with her.

"Hey there, girls!" Scott said as he extended his arm to Sue Ann. "How are you two doing?"

Sue Ann accepted his hand graciously. Less graciously, she answered his question with a "Fine, now that we're not waiting on you anymore."

"Sorry about that. Traffic was crazy," Greg piped in.

"On a Sunday?"

"Yeah, it was that huge Baptist church a couple of blocks away. Their service must have just ended," Scott offered by way of further explanation.

"Oh…"

"How come you came?" I asked Greg. I wasn't one to pull any punches.

"Oh, Scott figured that Cindy would come since it seems that Cindy is Sue Ann's best friend, and that girls always like to bring their friend as a safety net," he chimed with a smile. Darn! He knows a bit about women's psychology! "So, you're Natalie, right?"

"Yes, I am. The one and only."

"Molly told me about you," he said with that crooked smile of his. Oh, he's such a hunk … but not as hunky as Steve!

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm good friends with her. My father and her father are doctors who work together…"

"I don't know why you and that weirdo…" Scott interrupted Greg.

"Hey! She's not a weirdo. She's a very intelligent and curious young girl, I mean woman, as she prefers to be called," Sue Ann defended. Both Greg and Sue Ann showed hints of anger on their face. Scott froze, and retracted his statement.

"Plus, you don't know anything about her, so zip it!" Greg added.

"Sorry about that, man," Scott offered a bit self-consciously.

"No need. Sorry for my outburst," Sue Ann offered, feeling the tension zinging around the table.

"Yeah, uh, same here," added Greg.

"No worries, but where IS Cindy? Like Greg just said, I hear that she's your best friend. And it definitely seemed like it, at least from what I saw at the dance anyway," Scott teased with a smile. Sue Ann looked frightened and like she was trying hard to swallow a lump in her throat.

"Yeah, she sure knows how to dance. I never thought I would see anyone who can actually out-dance Blair!" Greg said, the tone of his voice betraying just how strong his interest in Cindy really was. Greg really seemed to have fallen hard.

Still looking a bit nervous, Sue Ann cut in, "Oh, Cindy's busy with homework. She's all focused on that poem we have to write." I thought it was a Biology assignment? What the hell?

"Oh God, don't remind me of that stupid poetry assignment…" I sighed. The assignment is worth half our grade! At least it's not due until nearly two months from now.

"Yeah, I know... I asked Cindy what she was writing about and she didn't want to tell me. She said it was a secret." Cindy had already started the poem? That's not like her. She procrastinates more than I do!

Greg's interest peaked. He probably though that she was writing the poem about him.

"So, what do you think she's writing about?" He inquired like a curious child. I giggled a bit, thinking of all the mushy stuff she could be writing about him. But that didn't make sense. Cindy's not the mushy type. It was way more likely that she was writing an ode to Billie Jean King or something like that.

I was about to answer his question, but it also seemed like Sue Ann had something to say. I noticed that she was suddenly acting all intense: her eyes were cast upwards like she was asking for God to help her, and I saw her face turn pale for a bit. She had a worried look on her face that I didn't understand.

She took a quick breath and smiled back. "She's probably writing something about you."

A huge grin spread across his face. "Super! I knew what happened at the dance wasn't a total rejection."

"Wait, you asked her out at the dance?" I asked. Sue Ann looked stunned.

"Yep, but she told me that she didn't want to be in a relationship. I knew that she was just being shy." That made no sense. Cindy is anything but shy. Her and Blair are the biggest show-offs in the dorm. Heck, put those two in front of a camera and they can start their own variety TV show complete with a three-ring circus! That's if they don't try to throw each other to the lions and tigers first... However, I guess she  _can_  be indecisive at times, so what Greg was saying was theoretically possible.

The worried look on Sue Ann's face intensified. She must know something about Cindy that she's hiding from the rest of us. He continued with his questions about Cindy. "So, how long have you two known each other?"

"For about a year. I just came here a year ago from Kansas City, Kansas. The first time I met her was during orientation…"

Boy, she sure has a lot to say about Cindy. It seems that she enjoys talking about her more than practically anything else.

"Wow! It seems that you two are very good friends."

"Yeah, I can't tell who you like more, Scott or Cindy," I threw in with a chortle.

As soon as the words left my mouth it looked like she wanted to die. It seemed as though every ounce of blood drained right out of her face, and she was starting to sweat.

"E-excuse me, Natalie. I have to powder myself."

I moved out of my seat to let her out of the booth, and she made a beeline to the bathroom across the checkered floor. I was contemplating whether I should follow her or not, but Scott started on his own set of questions before I had the chance to go after her.

"So, are you Sue Ann's roommate?"

"Yes I am. Why?"

"Does she snore in her sleep?"

"What kind of question is that?" Greg asked with a laugh. I laughed along with them. They seemed to be a silly bunch.

"Sometimes, but it's not too loud," I responded - which is true.

"Hey dude, you ask some of the dumbest questions. No wonder our debate team has lost three in a row."

"Me ask the dumbest questions? I wasn't the who one who asked the music teacher 'Does a mime have to take air guitar lessons?'!" Scott responded incredulously.

"That was just a joke!"

"Yeah, but it was still a stupid question!"

I was laughing out loud at the ridiculous banter between the two of them when Sue Ann returned from the bathroom. She looked better, but still a little green around the gills. Greg cut to the chase.

"What I want to ask you is whether you'd have a problem with me dating her?" he asked with a tinge of nervousness in his voice.

A soon as he asked, her sick look returned, followed quickly by an angry look. I saw her right fist clenching. What was it about his question that made her so upset?

Just as quickly as she had gone from looking ill to violent, she resumed her good-natured smiling and rejoined, "No I wouldn't." Yet to me, who knows her, it all seemed so phony.

Scott chipped in, "But what about us, when can we go out?"

It looked like Sue Ann hesitated a bit before answering the question. "When do you want to go out?"

"As soon as possible."

"So why not make it a double date? Sue Ann and Cindy with Scott and Greg!" I offered. I thought it was a super idea, but I couldn't tell if Sue Ann thought so. She seemed quite nervous about it, in fact. The guys, on the other hand, jumped on the suggestion.

"Yeah, that would be super!" Scott exclaimed. Greg nodded and then they exchanged a high five.

"Uh... Yeah, that would be great, but what about Blair, Greg?" Sue Ann questioned.

"Oh, don't worry about her. She'll be fine when I break up with her. She's just a tease anyway."

"Greg!" Sue Ann exclaimed.

"Well, it's true. Everybody thinks that she's easy, but in reality she's just a tease. Our relationship has always had an arm's-length distance about it. It's like she's not comfortable with getting close to me," he lamented. "Plus, she's too high maintenance. Cindy doesn't seem that way at all."

"I told you, bro. I tried to warn you about her. She did the same cold fish thing with Derrick Tyler and Eric Benton last year, at least that's what they told me" Scott added. He wasn't at Bates when Blair dated the two guys.

Wow, Blair, you sure do love to play the heartbreaker. Why? To stoke your ego?

"Well, she's gonna finally get a taste of her own medicine, I guess."

"Yeah, she can find how bitter tasting and nasty it is," Scott grinned.

Sue Ann was upset at first, but then she began to smile devilishly. Maybe all those times that Blair teased and insulted her were finally going catch up with her. I smiled as well, even though Blair's my friend. She needs to be taken down a peg or two. On the same note, I can't be totally heartless towards her since she did, with good intentions, help me find my biological mother even though in the end I didn't really see the need to visit her.

"So, when should we make plans for?" Sue Ann squeaked. She still seemed pretty nervous about it.

"I say next Saturday. We can go to the La Maison. What do you think?" Scott asked.

La Maison was perfect. It's an upscale French restaurant. Sue Ann looked like she wanted to die, but agreed to it anyway.

"Uh... Okay, I'm cool with it."

"That's great."

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Now I'm back as the narrator … Molly, that is … the  _real_ narrator. I thought I'd never get Natalie to give me back my journal. Let's jump back into the action on Wednesday night at 9:00, just before curfew. It's a special time because one of our favorite shows comes on, 'Charlie's Angels.' I personally have mixed feelings about it. It's great to see three females solving crimes, and Sabrina is one of my favorite TV characters. But on the negative side, the show focuses too much on bikinis and silly plots, and Sabrina left the cast. Plus, none of them have a relationship that lasts longer than two episodes! Even Blair's dates last longer than that! What does  _that_ say about women? And speaking of Blair, I don't really have any reason to watch besides observing her. Like I said, Sabrina is no longer on the show, and the new Angel, Tiffany, sucks. Otherwise, I would be upstairs reading.

As I observed Blair, I noticed that her eyes followed Kelly far more closely than the other two Angels. She checks them out too, but not to the extent that she fixated on Kelly. What does that character have in common with Daisy Duke, besides being good looking? They're both Southern, so that's one. Another is that they're both strong female characters. Neither of the other two Angels, Kris and Tiffany, are really damsels in distress either, yet she doesn't show much feeling for  _them._  Suddenly a commercial for Wonder Woman appeared on the screen, and I noticed that Blair nearly drooled all over herself at Lynda Carter. She's not Southern, but she's dark-haired and strong. So that's what she goes for: dark-haired, strong-yet-feminine types. Oh Blair, you don't realize how much I know about you and your true nature. If I wasn't such a nice person, I would bring it all 'out' for every one to see how much of a phony you are.

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	8. Chapter 8

Later on during the day, we were working on our homework assignments. Cindy had just finished that Biology assignment that Mr. Harper was harping on her for a while. Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun. It was actually two days late. However, Cindy started working on the big poetry assignment we have. That's not due until close to two months from now.

"What rhymes with ‘desire’? Hmm..."

"Cindy, the poetry assignment is about two months away, you shouldn't worry about it."

"But I have to write it. I can't explain why. Something inside of me wants to write this poem."

"I think I can. That ‘something’ is Sue Ann, isn’t it?"

Cindy stopped and looked at me, "Yes it is. I just have this need to write down my feelings for her."

"Uh, I don't think it would be wise. Wouldn’t she find out that way?"

"I don't exactly say it straight out that I love her. I made it rather ambiguous."

"Well let me hear some of it."

"Okay, but I only got only the first stanza done. Is that the word, 'stanza'?"

"Yes, that's the word."

"Okay, the title is called 'Secret Desire' and this is how it goes:"

"You are my secret desire.  
The one my heart burns a fire.  
Of a love that I dare not present  
For it may bring shame and resent"

"Well that's as far as I gotten."

“I think the last line might be obvious. I think you need to change it.”

“Hmmm… You may have a point. How about this: For it fills me with such torment.”

“That might work. You might also want to say in the beginning, ‘There is a secret desire.’”

“Hey, that will work. I like it. Now here’s the revised first stanza:”

 

“There is a secret desire  
The one my heart burns a fire  
Of a love that I dare not present  
For it fills me with such torment.”

I got to admit, I was quite impressed. I really shouldn’t say that, Cindy is a very intelligent lady. It’s just that her athletic accolades have always outshined her intellectual accomplishments, and her constant procrastinating holds her back from reaching her full potential. She’s a scholarship student who is almost as smart as Sue Ann in my opinion. She is much more worldly than Sue Ann, that’s for sure, probably from growing up in a multicultural middle-class neighborhood in LA.

As we were doing our assignments Tootie strolled into the room with her roller skates on. How does she manage to walk up and down the stairs with that thing on all the time?

“Hey guys how are you doing?”

“Fine, until you broke our concentration.” Cindy disparaged.

“I’m sorry about that, but I got some good news for you Cindy. You got a date with Greg Hockney!”

Cindy just dropped her pencil and looked at Tootie in total disbelief and so did I. How in the world could that have happened?

“What!” she scowled with a touch of anger in her tone.

“I know that I’m not supposed to tell you; Natalie was going to, but I just couldn’t resist! Natalie set up a date with you and Greg just an hour ago! Isn’t that awesome?”

Cindy was steaming with anger and grunted, “No it isn’t. It will be nice if I had a say about it.” She abruptly got out of her chair and demanded from Tootie, “Where the hell are those two?”

Quivering, Tootie replied, “Uh… Downstairs.”

“Thank you." She went straight downstairs directly to the two matchmakers. She didn't pass go, nor did she collect $200.

"Why is Cindy is so upset about that? Who wouldn't want a date with Greg Hockney?"

"Cindy wouldn't, because she turned down Greg the other night at the dance."

Shocked, Tootie looked at me. "Oooooh, there's going to be trouble..."

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I rushed downstairs to the living room and saw a miffed Cindy looking crossly at Sue Ann and Natalie. Tootie got down there as well - before I did! Wow, how does she do it with those skates?

"The next time you plan a date for me, I would like to be there!" She roared.

"Wait, how did you figure it out?" Sue Ann asked, but Natalie answered her before Cindy did while Tootie muttered to herself, "Uh oh."

"Oh God, did Tootie tell you?" Natalie questioned.

Cindy nodded with her frown still on her face. Sue Ann looked at Natalie with a bit of anger.

"Did you tell Tootie?" Sue Ann barked at Natalie. Tootie quickly hid behind my back. Well Sue Ann, you got your answer. She then turned her attention back to Cindy, “It was Natalie’s idea, really.”

"Why would you do such a thing Natalie?" Cindy demanded

"I thought that she would be happy about it. I mean who wouldn't want a date with one the hunkiest guys in Peekskill, Greg Hockney?" Natalie responded. “Of course, he’s not as hunky as Steve, but I digress.” Oh my, she’s so obsess about that grocery delivery boy, Steve.

"I don't! I don't want to go out with Greg!"

"What? Are you crazy, this is Greg Hockney we're talking about, one of the hottest guys in the Academy! Light golden brown hair, tall athletic body, star Quarterback of the team."

"I don't care how hot he is; I'm not interested!" Cindy roared back at Natalie. Natalie was shaking and she couldn't look at Cindy; she was very scared. Sue Ann stepped in.

"Look Cindy, I know how scared you are. I am too since I'm going out with Scott, but you shouldn't be, I'll be there. It's gonna be a double date!" Sue Ann smiled. There was a touch of anxiety in her smile, like she didn't want to go through this either.

"I don't care if you and me are -" then she paused a bit. Something must have jumped in her mind. "So me and you are going on a double date?"

"Yes! And it's with Greg and Scott. Ain’t that super?"

Cindy smiled, "It sure is. Well thank you for arranging it for me, but next time I would like to be there."

Natalie sighed out some relief and so did Sue Ann. I wonder what was the sudden change of heart? And I know it has nothing to do with Greg, as much of a wonderful guy he is.

Mrs. Garret then came into the room. “Hey girls, what’s going on?”

“Oh Mrs. Garret, Sue Ann and Cindy are going out on a double date!” Natalie chimed.

“That’s great! When is it?”

“Sometime next week. We haven’t finalize the details.”

“Well good luck you two.”

“Thanks Mrs. Garrett.” Sue Ann smiled.

I know somehow Cindy came up with a sneaky plan, and something inside of me told me that I wouldn’t like it.

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When we went back to our room, I asked Cindy why she was so happy about it. Tootie was downstairs so me and Cindy were able to talk privately.

"Now you want to go out with him? What’s with the sudden change of heart?” I question, though I was quite sure that it had nothing to do with Greg. I didn’t want to let her know my suspicion.

Cindy grinned, "Well, maybe it won't be such a bad idea after all."

"Huh?" I questioned. She stumped me with her answer.

"Since this is basically a first date, I know that Scott won't be sitting next to Sue Ann, and Greg won't be sitting next to me."

"So what are you getting at?" I didn't have a clue what she was had in mind.

Cindy kept her grin as she patted my left shoulder. "I'm surprised that you didn't catch on, knowing how perceptive you are. Sue Ann will be sitting next to me, so in reality it will be a date with me and Sue Ann."

Uh oh. Just as I thought, for some reason I didn't like the sound of it.

"But how are you going to do that, she will be busy with Scott, or Scott will prevent it."

"Not this time."

What will she be doing? She will be next to her but she can't really chat with her, or look at her, or ever touch her, or… Wait a minute! She could touch her, and since she's a very touchy person, especially with girls... Oh no! She can discreetly make her move on her.

“Cindy, do you realize what you are doing?”

“Absolutely!” she grinned with a very deceiving sly smile. Now I’m worried – for Sue Ann.

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During the week, they were spending some time together, yet there was some uneasiness between the two. Both really want to be around the other, yet it was obvious to anyone who was paying attention that two wanted to do more than just sit together and watch TV.

One of those nights was on a Wednesday; around 9:00 PM. It’s when ‘Charlie’s Angels’ come on. Yes, the show where three crime-fighting females fight criminals while wearing bikinis. It’s really there for men to ogle at them, as the plots were pretty lame. I used to watch it simply because they had one character that I liked a lot, Sabrina. She was smart and intelligent, and she never reduced herself to wearing a bikini. She picked some bad choices in men, but I think they all did, none of their relationships lasted more than three episodes! Now that she’s gone, I have no reason to watch it. Kate Jackson, why did you have to leave the show?

Anyway, it was also one of Cindy’s favorite shows and Sue Ann was also watching with her. Just as it was about to start, Blair rushed downstairs.

“Is it on yet?” she said, huffing and puffing like she just finished running the 100 meter dash. I’ve never seen her rush so quick for a TV show. I did however heard from Nancy that she once ran three floors in under thirty seconds when there was a 50% off on pumps during Black Friday at Bloomingdales!

“Just about, the beginning just got started,” Cindy informed.

“Oh great!”

Sue Ann was surprised as well. “I could never understand you when it comes to TV shows. I expect you to be more into ‘Dallas’ and ‘Flamingo Road’ than ‘Charlie’s Angels’.”

“Well, they have some of the hottest middle-age men on the show,” Blair smiled. Yeah, sure Blair…

“Oh ok,” I responded, acting like I was naïve of the situation.

While they were watching the show, I was again analyzing Blair. I got my answer when Kelly appeared in a blue dress. She was basically eyeing her like crazy. Also, Kelly is rather similar to Daisy Duke: Southern, feminine yet strong, and a brunette. Ah! I see a pattern here.

During commercial break, Sue Ann asked Blair a question. “So, who’s you’re favorite Angel, Blair? I bet it’s Tiffany, since she’s high-class like you.” Good logical guess, Sue Ann, but you are way off.

Blair giggled and answered, “You would think so, but really my favorite would be Kelly. She can be classy, when she wants to be, and she has a certain charm that neither Sabrina nor Kris and Jill ever had.”

“Very interesting. I would think Kelly would be the least of your favorite.” Cindy told her.

“Well, I can’t help it that I’m full of surprises; that’s why I’m never boring.” She stated with a hair flip. “So who do you like?” Cindy was about to answer it, but Blair stopped it. “Let me guess, Kris.”

Cindy was surprised at Blair’s correct answer. “Yes! How did you figure it out?”

“I’m Blair Warner, I know everything,” she grinned.

“No really Blair, how did you really know?” Sue Ann frowned, not really liking her previous answer.

“Well, she talks about her quite a bit when we watch the show.”

Cindy thought a bit and admitted, “That’s true. I do.”

“See, I’m right as always!” she chimed.

Everyone else in the room rolled their eyes and groaned.

“Well it’s obvious that there’s one person you like more than anyone else.” I told Blair.

“Who could it be? It’s sure as heck not Greg Hockney!” Everyone in the room laughed.

“No, yourself.” I answered with a deadpanned look.

Everyone was silent for a while, afraid that Blair would blow up, but she didn’t. Instead, she admitted about it and was even proud about it.

“Of course I do! If you’re as marvelous as I am, you would be too!” She smugly stated, ending with yet another hair flip as I watch her head starting to inflate like a helium balloon. I wish I had a needle so I can pop it and probably bring her back to Earth.

Everyone else in the room rolled their eyes once again. “Blair, the world does not revolve around you. Not every man on this planet wants you.” I reminded her.

“Perhaps, but try telling that to the scores of men who want to date me.”

“Oh God Blair.” Sue Ann sighed.

Blair reverted back to the original subject, knowing it was turning everyone off. “But really Cindy, why Kris?”

Cindy blushed a bit and Sue Ann started to get jealous. I can tell by her lips that she was a jealous. She had the tendency to pucker them tight when she’s mad. “She smart, yet she has this innocence, kind of naïve.” Oh wow, that explains her attraction to Sue Ann.

Blair just responded, “Uh huh. I see.”

Quite apparently, she knew whom Cindy was about. However, Sue Ann didn’t pick it up. “Do you know anybody like that?”

Me, Blair and Cindy went quiet a bit. Take a look in the mirror Sue Ann, you’ll see your answer.

Cindy was starting to get uncomfortable, as she squirmed in her seat a bit. “Well, I knew a close friend who was like that back in LA…” Nice try, but I don’t think that would work Cindy. Blair had that ‘yeah right!’ look on her face.

Sue Ann was trying so hard to hide her jealousy, but her mouth wasn’t hiding anything about it and I bet she wanted to ask more questions about it, but the commercial break was over and the show came back on. Well now I know what’s Blair and Cindy’s types are.

Just as they were watching the show, I saw Cindy resting her head on Sue Ann. Sue Ann was too engrossed in the show to notice it, until about five minutes later. When she finally noticed, she started to panic. Her lips were trembling and her body was a little bit as well. I don’t know if it was me or it was just my imagination, but I think I saw her smiling slightly. If that’s the case, then she’s starting her antics already! I saw Blair looked back at the two women. Her eyes jumped and she just went back to ogling at Kelly, not bothering to look back at all. Now I believe that it’s not my imagination at all. As Tootie would say, there’s going to be trouble…


	9. Chapter 9

“Dance Fever!” blasted out from the television set. Yep, there was Tootie and Cindy, watching that show ‘Dance Fever,’ like they were too bored to change the channel. Denny Terrio was the host, schmoozing the audience with his ‘jive talk’, but in reality, he ends up looking like a jive turkey.

“Dance Fever? Why?” I asked.

“It’s not that bad of a show. You do get to see some good dancers on there, but that’s only because Soul Train comes on afterwards.” Tootie informed.

“That’s the show we really want to watch!” Cindy added.

“Oh.” I simply replied. I’m not really into those types of shows. I can’t really dance and neither Pop nor R&B is my cup of tea. I was having a hard time keeping in rhythm with Ralph and especially with Cindy during the ballroom dance. Speaking of Ralph, we just went on a date the other day, to a folk concert downtown at Peekskill Square. It was great. He got me flowers, paid for our date, and even opened the door for me when we got in the cab. He’s such a true Southern gentleman.

In one part of the show, where the contestants were dancing to The Knacks’ “My Sharona,” Tootie and Cindy started to dance. Mrs. Garrett came down the steps and stopped to watch, to her amusement, the two young ladies dancing. She was smiling as the duo boogied down to the music. Eventually Tootie spotted her.

“Hey Mrs. G., do you wanna dance with us?”

“No thank you, these old knees would get locked up if I even attempt to, as you youngsters would say, ‘get down’.”

They laughed and she left to do some cleaning. About a few seconds later Sue Ann came down.

“Hey, what’s going on?” She asked me.

“Nothing, just watching Tootie and Cindy ‘boogie down.’ I snickered at the end, remembering the phone conversation she had with Scott. Sue Ann didn’t find it a bit amusing.

“Oh stop it! I’m sure you don’t know every slang word there is.”

“No, but not knowing what ‘boogie down’ means shows how country you are. Marie Osmond may be a little bit country, but girl, you’re totally country!” Tootie jested, overhearing our conversation. Apparently, Cindy must have told her about the phone conversation. Cindy quickly came to Sue Ann’s defense.

“Come on now, leave her alone. If we were in Kansas, they would probably laugh at us for not knowing how to milk a cow.” Cindy reasoned with Tootie. She then gave Sue Ann a reassuring wink, and Sue Ann smiled in return. “Hey Sue Ann, I bet you can’t ‘boogie down’ like we can?” Cindy teasingly challenged her.

Sue Ann accepted the challenge with no hesitation. “Oh yeah! I’ll show you two.”

She then joined the two dancers and started to dance. She wasn’t as good as Cindy and Tootie, but she makes me look like Mick Jagger. No people, Mick Jagger doesn’t really know how to dance; all he does is walk up and down the stage and flap his arms like a chicken.

It was interesting to see the two dancing, I’m referring to Cindy and Sue Ann. It was like some sort of can-you-top-this competition. Both are known for their competitive streak, so I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m a bit worried about it, for it might cause problems if they finally get into a relationship.

While they were dancing, Cindy grabbed Sue Ann by the arm and started dancing with her. I’m just glad that Tootie was too busy dancing to pay attention to how the two looked at each other, since there was undeniable chemistry between the two. Cindy was doing her best not to let Sue Ann go. In fact, she tried to bring her closer to her. After they dance, they looked at each other for a bit, but Tootie interrupted that moment.

“Hey Cindy, check this dancer out. He’s far out!”

And that ended the Cindy and Sue Ann moment. Thanks Tootie…

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While I was watching “CBS News with Dan Rather”, I heard steps coming down from the stairs. I turned around and saw Nancy in a rather gloomy mood.

“What’s wrong Nancy?”

“Nothing,” she lied without looking at me directly. She was sulking, her shoulders were hanging low, and her voice was weak, all signs of someone being sad, according to the Body Language book.

“I don’t think you’re telling me the truth. Your body says otherwise.”

Nancy looked at me directly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Does it have to do with Roger?”

Nancy forcefully chuckled, “No, not this time. This one has to do with Blair.”

“Blair? What happened?”

“She hasn’t been hanging out with me even since she joined ‘the group’.” She whined. I’ve been hearing about this ‘group’ lately, fronted by equally-rich-snobby-bitch Teresa ‘Tumpy’ Barkdale. It’s a group where all the so-called ‘cool people’ hang out, but no one really knows about it.

“The group?”

“Yeah, the group.” I listened to her carefully as she continued. Something told me I might hear something interesting. “Ever since she joined, she’s been talking less with me, and when she does, it’s mostly about the group. It also hurts that the group has not accepted me.”

“Really? Did Blair tell you why?”

“She said she don’t know why either, and she told me that she tried hard to get me in, but they wouldn’t budge.”

“That’s not cool.”

“That’s so true. I thought that Blair is my best friend. Apparently, she’s not. The group means more to her than our friendship.”

If what she’s saying about Blair’s behavior is true, which I don’t really know if I would totally agree that Blair considers the group more important than her friendship with Nancy, then there must be something about the group that would make Blair neglects her friendship with Nancy, but I don’t know what it is yet. Hmmm, I need to look deeper into it, but for now, I’ll go ahead and watch my future husband on TV, Dan Rather. He’s such a stud!

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After the news, I was reading a book, since reading is my favorite pastime. No, it had nothing to do with body languages or expressions or anything like that. It’s a book called ‘If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance’ by Angela Davis, world-renowned black feminist. Of course, she prefers womanist, so I’ll call her that instead.

Just as I got into it, I heard someone coming down the stairs once again. I turned around and saw Blair coming down smiling. It seemed very genuine. I know that Blair smiles a lot, but this one was different. The book said that you could tell by the aura they give off when it’s genuine. Her body is loose, her posture is more relaxed than usual, and there’s a certain bounce in her step. It’s like she’s on cloud nine.

“So Blair, what Man-of-the-Week are you going out with tonight?”

Blair just looked at me and gave me a phony laugh. “Ha ha ha, I’m not going out with anyone this week.”

“You mean that you don’t have a date at all?”

There was a bit of hesitation when she answered, but she responded, “Nope, I’m not going out with any boys, and probably not for a while.”

Okay, something is REALLY going on here. For Blair to not have a boyfriend is like a Big Mac to be missing that so-called ‘special sauce’, there’s something wrong there. Why am I even bringing up McDonalds? They make the most toxic foods on this planet and use too much Styrofoam packaging.

“Really? Okay, did you fall on your head or something?”

Blair just laughed, “No silly, I just realized that I can be happy without a man. I need to take a break from the dating scene really. Just because men want me doesn’t mean I have to go out on a date with them all the time.”

I couldn’t argue with that. She has a valid point, but since when has Blair ever shown any feminist tendencies? That’s not Blair one bit. “That’s true indeed. So then what’s really making you happy?”

“Well, the whole thing feels liberating! Not having to be tied down by someone.”

I see… She’s basically saying that she doesn’t have to put on this masquerade that she’s been wearing. Well Blair, you’re not fooling me one bit. I bet my bottom dollar that there’s someone in the group that you are seeing.

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It was the weekend and me and Greg were at Peekskill Park, doing our favorite activity, playing checkers and debating.

“Those evil men hate anything that isn’t Islam or anything that isn’t Arab. They’re jealous of our freedom, that’s why they went after our embassy in Tehran!” Greg argued. How naïve he can be.

“Are you kidding me? That’s so ridiculous! They don’t hate our freedom. The reason why they took our embassy hostage is because they are sick and tired of us screwing them over. Ever since back in 1953 when the CIA got rid of their democratically elected government, they’ve had that built up resentment for us. The government wanted to nationalize the oil industry and return it back to the country instead of having it continuously exploited by the West. We replace it with a pro-Western government. The Shah is nothing but a puppet for the US.”

“The Shah was there for the people! They progressed a lot under his rule!”

“Yeah right! The only progress he contributed to the country was to progress his and those foreign oil companies’ bank accounts. The people are fed up with the way the country is run. That’s why they’re having that revolution right now. They’re sick and tired of being exploited.”

“Exploited? If it weren’t for us, they would still be in the 15th century! They didn’t have anything before the Shah arrived. They modernized under him.”

I was about to answer, but I saw the time was ten minutes to 1:00. Eastland was playing against Winstonhusrt in Field Hockey. Cindy was in the team, and I always enjoy watching her play. She’s the star of our team.

“Oh shoot! I’m going to be late for the game!”

“What game?”

“Eastland is playing against Winstonhurst today in Field Hockey.”

“Oh cool. That sounds interesting.”

“It sure is. We’re leading the conference and Cindy has a chance to lead the conference in goals scored.”

“Cindy’s playing?”

“Yep!” I knew that would peak his interest.

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” He quickly got out of his seat and pulled me from my seat.

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We got to the game and four minutes have already passed. The score was still 0 - 0. Cindy was on the field. She didn’t see us until twenty minutes has passed.

“Cindy! Cindy!” we shouted. She eventually heard us and waived at us.

“Go kick some butts, girl!” Greg shouted. Cindy just giggled.

“Greg!” I scolded.

“Hey, I’m trying to encourage her, what’s wrong with that?”

“Greg, she’ll do just fine.” I huffed in my response. I can’t believe him sometimes.

We watched the game right up until halftime. The score was 0 – 2 in favor on Winstonhurst and Cindy clearly looked disenchanted. During their halftime talk, Cindy came up to us.

“Hey there.” Cindy chimed.

“Hi Cindy.” I replied back in nature.

“Hey there, good looking!” He charmed. She just smiled and giggled back. “So no goals yet?”

A bit disappointed, she told him, “No, unfortunately, but I’m not surprised. Winstonhurst is 2nd in defense. Hopefully, things will change in the second half.”

“Well I’m sure that you’ll somehow score.” I encouraged, not knowing if it would really make a difference.

“I hope so, I want to take the lead in scoring, but it won’t be easy to score over Beth Shoemaker. She leads the conference in blocked goals.”

“Well then good luck. Make a goal for me.” Greg encouraged.

“Okay!” Cindy then heard from the coach that they were about to start the second half. She got back to joined the team.

During the second half, Cindy was finally able to break through, scoring three goals and lead the way to a 5-3 victory. Cindy was really happy.

We waited for Cindy to come out from the locker, but surprisingly so was Sue Ann. She was at the game the whole time and we didn’t notice her.

“Hey what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I was watching the game. I came to see Cindy play. I mean she is my best friend.” She informed with a matter-of-fact look.

“But we didn’t see you.” Greg mentioned.

Sue Ann laughed. “That’s because I was sitting behind you guys. I’m rather surprised since I was making quite a bit of noise. I guess you don’t know my Midwestern accent very well?” She joked and smiled.

“Well, I guess not.” I responded. I still don’t know why we didn’t know she was behind us the whole entire time. Then Cindy came out and was surprised to see all of us.

“Wow, I didn’t know that I have a following!” She joked.

“Well you are indeed a special girl!” Greg said. “It was because of your skills that the team won the game.”

Cindy chuckled. “Well it wasn’t easy at first, but when I noticed that Beth was getting tired, I went right after her.”

“It seems to work.” Sue Ann mentioned.

“Yeah, thank goodness. Now we can focus on the next game, against Peekskill High.”

“That’s cool. I hope you win. So are you doing anything?” He asked.

“Yeah, me and Sue Ann are going to hang out a bit. We’re going to a friend’s party.”

“Yeah, it’s someone I know from back home in Kansas. Let’s go Cindy, I don’t want to be late.”

“You and time.” Cindy groaned with her eye looking up in disbelief. “Okay, let’s get going.”

And they left the area. I can see the disappointment on Greg’s face. There were no crooked smile, no confident stares, just a sad look on his face. He was really into her.

“Come on Greg, you’ll get to see her again at the date. In the meantime, let’s finish our game. Remember, checkers?”

“Oh yea, let’s finish our game since I’m winning.”

“Oh boy…” I groaned.

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	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks had passed, and today was the day that Cindy and Sue Ann were going to go out with the boys on their double date. It was supposed to take place last week, but from what Greg told me, Scott had to go help his father's campaign back in Boston, delaying the date for a week. His father is a Congressman who's running for his third term. I know, too much information. What can I say, I love politics!

The girls are pretending to be looking forward to the date – well Sue Ann was pretending. Cindy was really looking forward to it. Sue Ann's body seems lukewarm about it, like she was going to work instead of a date. In other words, not much reaction at all. Cindy, on the other hand, was smiling and had a bounce in her step, but not for the reason that Natalie or Tootie might think... and that Sue Ann will soon find out – for better or worse.

Cindy was getting herself ready for the date. It wasn't too hard as she only had one dress – the same one she wore at the Harvest Fair. Me and Tootie were helping her with the makeup, since she really doesn't know much about makeup. I don't either, but I sure do know more than she does. Besides, I got Miss Future Beautician here with me helping me out.

"I'm glad that you are helping me with this, even though it's not your thing." Cindy said.

"It's not my thing. I don't think we should have to put on makeup, do our hair, or any of that nonsense to please a man."

"Well you sure won't please any man if you look as plain as a sheet of paper." Tootie joked.

"True, but a woman's true beauty is from the inside, not from the outside. If a man is not willing to see the inner beauty of someone, then he's not worth being with."

"Yeah, tell that to Ralph." Cindy rebuked. Ralph is not that type of male, and I informed her of that.

"Ralph is not like that. He likes me for who I am."

"Yeah, but I know he wouldn't approach you if you were ugly. Would you say yes to him at the dance if he was ugly?" Tootie responded back while giving me that 'Woman, please' look.

He not really handsome, like my friend Greg, but he's not ugly. I see what Tootie is getting at.

"There's nothing totally wrong, it's just human nature." Cindy told me while she shrugged. "Eventually, the outer beauty wears off and then inner beauty takes over. You need to have more faith in us humans Molly, we're not that hopeless!" She joked. Tootie laughed but I didn't find it funny at first. However I did a bit of soul-searching and saw her point. I do make a big deal out of some trivial things. After that revelation, I started to laugh.

"You're right. After all the crap we humans do to each other, we are still around. However, just like when I supported you for the pageant, I will support you here as well."

"Thanks. I was surprised that you did, since you once said that you don't want to be judged by your cleavage."

"Yep, and I still believe that, but as your friend I wanted to support you 100% - and for you to beat Blair!"

The girls – ahem – I mean women, chuckled. Then Cindy asked a question I wish she never did.

"Why hasn't Sue Ann come out of the room yet?" Cindy asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she's nervous about the whole thing." I questioned.

"Probably, but she was part of the plan."

"What's wrong with the plan? I would LOVE to go out with either Scott or Greg, they're both hunks!" Tootie elated. "Why aren't you so thrilled about going out with one of the hottest guy in Peekskill?"

Now it was Cindy's turn to feel uncomfortable about a question, as her eyes started to look down, trying to figure out an answer suitable for Tootie.

"Well… It's just that I'm nervous about this date. I've never been on a date before." Half-truths.

"But you didn't want to go out with him at first? Why? Are you hiding something? Do you like guys? I heard that you don't like guys."

Tootie sure knows how to drop a bomb, though it didn't sound intentional. Now Cindy started to sweat and she was getting very nervous. I had to step in to stop Tootie for going even further.

"Who told you that? Blair?" I asked. I know she heard it from someone. People don't call Tootie, 'The Gossip Princess', for nothing.

"No, Becky Decker, who got it from Tammy Snivel, who got it from Rosemary Peters, who overheard it when Boots St. Clair was talking to Cynthia."

Oh no, not her. Boots St. Clair, Blair's archenemy and equal elitist. They're such a unique species that scientists even have a name for people like her and Blair: Snobius Prepius.She's malicious enough to say something like that about Cindy. Me and Blair don't have a lot of things in common, but we do have one thing in common, we both hate Boots' guts. My hatred goes back to when I was trying to hold a 'No More Junk In Our Food' demonstration last year, protesting about our lunch menus. She and her gang retaliated by throwing cakes and pies at us. Her family runs FoodCon, makers of Dinkies sponge cakes, TC Cola, and Parker's Potato and Tortilla chips.

"Boots St. Clair! Don't trust anything that comes from her mouth."

"I know, but…"

"Listen to her, don't trust anything that comes from Boots St. Clair's mouth. She's very manipulative!" Cindy spat as Tootie puts on the foundation. I saw that Tootie didn't really need my help, she was doing fine without me. I bet she'll make a great beautician, contrary to what her father thinks. Oh yeah, he came here the other day and wanted to pull Tootie out because of her aspiration of becoming a beautician. Luckily, Mrs. Garrett worked some of her persuasion magic on him, and Tootie remained. I guess I'll head to Sue Ann's room.

"Let me check on Sue Ann. I'll be right back."

I walked to her room and knocked.

"Yes?" Sue Ann responded.

"Sue Ann, are you ready?"

"I am."

"Can you come out then?"

"Um… I am busy with my homework right now. I'll come when they arrive."

I knew that it was a lie. I knew her too well enough to think that she would be still doing her homework. She's the anti-procrastinator, the exact opposite of Cindy. Then I heard Natalie in the background.

"Come on Sue Ann."

Figuring it would be of no use to force her out, I shouted, "Don't worry, I'll get you when they arrive."

I went downstairs and started reading an article on the New York Times. Senator Ted Kennedy vowed in Iowa to press for Women's Rights if he gets elected President next year. Yeah right. The only right he will give us is the right to pull down his pants. Womanizing bastard!

About nearly a half-hour later, I heard the doorbell. I looked and saw Greg with Scott. Greg had a rose for Cindy, how sweet, even though I know that she's not really into flowers. I opened the door and saw Scott with a book in his hand.

"Hi Greg. Hi Scott."

"Hey there, Molly." Greg said while giving me a friendly hug.

"Hi Miss Man-Hating Feminist." Scott scorned at me. I don't know him that well, and I already hate him.

"Scott!" Greg spat.

"No Greg, I got this one." Then I came up to him and told him. "Well hello there Mr. Future Womanizer. I mean after all, that's what you Kennedy's do best, sow your wild oats around."

He was really angry and told me, "We Kennedy's don't cheat on women. We've champion equal rights to minorities and women, especially my late uncle Jack."

"It wasn't from your late uncle Jack. The credit can go to LBJ for that, he did most of the Civil Rights work. Also, his brother Robert did more for Civil Rights than anyone else in your family. For the most part, John F. Kennedy didn't do much. In fact, he was chosen to run the 1960 election because he was a conservative Democrat, stemming from the two consecutive losses they had from Adlai Stevenson, a REAL liberal. As for champion women's rights, just recently your uncle began that support, which is about twenty years too late. Was he too busy covering up Chappaquiddick? You should be careful about insulting me, I'm a future Democrat voter but it wouldn't matter to you since I know that you're a Republican in disguise and that you're planning to support that Reagan schmuck!"

I saw him looked at me with anger and spat to Greg, "You told her, didn't you?"

Greg was about to answer, but I ended up doing it instead. "He didn't have to. I saw you coming out of that Reagan Campaign headquarters down at Monroe Avenue the other day." It was true. Me and a few people were protesting outside about Reagan's policies when I saw Scott come out. Luckily, he didn't see me.

Now he wanted to swallow that big lump that was forming in his throat as he looked like he wanted to hide under a rock. Greg just laughed at him. "I told you not to get into a debate with her."

He quickly changed the subject. Coward. "Okay, so where's Sue Ann?"

"She's in her room upstairs, doing her homework. I'll get her down."

"Yeah, we already made reservations, and I don't want to be late." Scott informed me as he impatiently looked at his watch.

"Then you shouldn't have gotten into a discussion with me," I smiled. He quickly sneered at me. I can't lie; I thought it was funny.

While I was going up, Mrs. Garrett was going down.

"Are the dates here?"

"Yep."

"Good. Go ahead and get Sue Ann and Cindy. I'll entertain the fellows for a while."

"I'm about to do that."

So I went upstairs and went to my room. Tootie was gone and Cindy was busy looking over her poem. Boy, she doesn't realize how much trouble that poem could get her into.

"Cindy, Greg and Scott are here."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, so get your butt up and let's get Sue Ann."

We went to Sue Ann's room and Cindy started to knock. "Sue Ann, our dates are here."

"Are they?" She shouted through the door.

"Yeah, they are."

"Okay. Hold up for a bit."

It was only a few seconds later that she finally opened the door. She looked quite stunning. She had on a long beige dress; you know the ones that go down to your ankles. I think it's by Yves St. Lawrence or Gloria Vanderbilt. I don't know, I'm not really into that type of stuff.

I saw Cindy helplessly eyeing her up and down, that didn't make Sue Ann feel any better, as she looked very nervous.

"Wow Sue Ann, you look great!" Cindy emoted.

"Uh… Thanks." She was really uncomfortable being around Cindy.

"Let's get down there. Greg and Scott are waiting impatiently since they already made the reservations." I told them.

When we got downstairs, we saw the two men chatting with Mrs. Garrett and Mr. Bradley. I was not surprised to see him. He seems to come quite often to our dorm. Why our dorm? What makes it so special for him to visit every day? Why doesn't he go to some other dorm and harass the ladies over there?

"Now I want you two to bring the girls back before 9 PM. It is a school night."

"Yes Mr. Bradley, we will bring them back on time." Then Greg finally noticed Cindy. "Hey there, Cindy. You look even better in that dress than during the Harvest Queen pageant."

"Why thank you, Greg."

"Hi Sue Ann." Scott addressed her with a smile.

"Hey there Scott, how are you doing?"

"Great! You look splendid in that dress."

Sue Ann flirted a bit. "Why thank you. You don't look bad in that suit as well."

Scott grinned a bit, "Well, I always try to look my best."

Mr. Bradley butted in the conversation. "Well you two look lovely tonight."

"Why thank you, Mr. Bradley." Cindy replied.

Blair came down the stair and saw the two guys. She gave Greg a dirty look and Greg returned one back to her. Scott also showed his disgust for her.

"So where are you taking them?" She asked Greg.

"The Rose Garden. We already have a table of four." He told her coarsely.

"Yep that doesn't surprise me one bit. After all, bad taste is your middle name." Blair insinuated.

"Do you want me to say what yours is?"

Mrs. Garrett quickly stopped it.

"Blair, come with me to the kitchen."

Blair didn't complain or whine as usual, she just followed. After they left, Sue Ann spoke up.

"Wow, I've heard about the place, is it really that classy as I've heard?"

"Oh yeah! They won't allow you to wear leisure suits." Greg responded.

"Thank goodness! Leisure suits are tacky!" I said.

"They sure are. They also don't allow overalls, so I'm glad that Sue Ann is wearing a dress." Greg joked.

Everybody in the room laughed except Sue Ann. Her body language showed a bit of anger as she frowned and quickly clinched her fist briefly. Her lips were the most prominent part of her body that showed disapproval over his comment. It seemed that Scott saw that, so he pulled out a gift for her.

"Hey Sue Ann, I got something for you."

"Really? What is it?"

He had a small bag next to him, and he pulled out a book. Sue Ann instantly got excited when she saw it.

"Oh my God, it's an autographed copy of Jackie O's book. This is great!" Scott smiled, while Cindy steamed a bit. Please don't do anything stupid Cindy. "Thank you very much!" She gave him a friendly hug. Immediately I saw Cindy clinching her fist. Her eyes showed a shocked expression. She was not happy about it one bit. Greg was happy, but he was also in a hurry. Mr. Bradley was also surprised.

"You got an autographed book from the legendary Jackie O.?" He enquired.

Scott rolled his eyes. He doesn't think highly of her. Funny, because she has more class than he will ever have. "Yes I do. I am related to her."

"Oh this is a great gift! Thanks!" She then hugged him once again. I could see the anger on Cindy's face, even though she's trying her best to hide it.

"Let's get going, I don't want to be late, it was a hassle getting that reservation." Greg said.

"Okay, but remember, 9 PM on the dot. Not a minute later." Mr. Bradley sternly warned them, like he was Cindy and Sue Ann's father.

Greg just laughed, "Don't worry Mr. Bradley, they're be here before 9."

As they closed the door behind them, I was left wondering how things will turn out. I have a feeling that won't be the same after this date. Then Tootie came up to me and whispered, "Let's go to the Rose Garden and check them out."

"What? You want us to snoop on them?"

"What's wrong with that?"

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Don't you know that's an invasion of their privacy?"

"Are you kidding? It's a public place, Molly. What privacy? Besides, aren't you interested that either Greg or Scott might kiss one of them?" For some reason, it peaked my interest, in a bad way. "Can you think of all the juicy gossip we can get if we follow them?"

"Maybe, but I can also think of how we can get in trouble if we do this."

"Relax, I've done this many times with Natalie and with Cindy a few times. We won't get caught as long as you follow me. So what do you say?"

"No way that I'm going to join you on this! No way possible!"

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I can't believe that she talked me into this. Somehow, I'm on a bus with Tootie, going to the restaurant. We were dressed up in our best clothes and in disguise; I had on a long curly blond wig while Tootie was wearing a long dark brown wig, looking something like a young Diana Ross, and I looked like a young Dolly Parton – minus the boobs.

"I don't know how you talk me into this."

"Molly, don't worry about it. We won't get caught. I've done this a million times."

"Sure…"

"It's true. I've spied on Blair's dates many times and even caught Roger and Nancy kissing and rubbing each other!"

"You caught Nancy and Roger making out?"

"Is that what you call it?"

I forgot that her vocabulary was not as big as mine. "That's what you call it."

She just nodded her head. I was shocked. I really underestimated her snooping abilities. She just smiled rather triumphantly, like she was proud of her 'accomplishments', if you want to call them that. While on the bus, something came up in my mind.

"Don't we need to make reservations?"

"Don't worry about that, leave that to me." For some reason, I didn't have a good feeling about it.

When we finally got to the place, I saw Greg's car, meaning they're here already.

We got inside and I was a bit impressed with the surroundings. It was very swanky, as you would expect from an expensive restaurant. You could tell that anyone below the $70,000 bracket did not belong here. The host saw us, and in a very posh sort of way, greeted us.

"Welcome to the Rose Garden, how may I help you?" He asked. His accent was very Posh British.

"Yes, we would like a table for two." Tootie said confidently.

The host laughed at us like one of those snooty laughs that upper-class Brits have.

"Hahaha! You need a reservation to be seated, and I seriously doubt that you two 'kids' got one." He told us, snobbishly emphasizing the word 'kids.'

Tootie then smiled and mocked his uppity laugh and accent. "Hahaha, you don't know who I am, do you?"

"Well you're sure not Donna Summers."

Tootie had a scowl on her face. "Very funny Mister. I'm Dorothy Ramsey, daughter of Rodney Ramsey. You know, Rifle Ramsey of Syracuse football fame."

"I don't watch such low-brow and barbaric entertainment like American Football, so I'm sorry, that name does not sound familiar to me."

"Well then, would the fact that he's also a lawyer who also practices here, matter to you? Would it also matter that he is planning to sue this restaurant after the last time we were here? When we had to wait a very long time after we made our reservations to be seated. We were also seated near the kitchen, got our food very late, and when we finally did get it, it was like half-hot and half-cold?" Tootie was counting on the fact that the restaurant wouldn't want a reputation for being discriminatory.

"I think lukewarm is the word, Tootie." I told her. Yep, her vocabulary is not as big as mine.

"Thanks Molly, that's the right word. I'm not saying anything but…"

"Okay! Okay! I'll seat you two!" His body was showing signs of fear, as he knew very well what she was implying. Wow, I don't know whether to be impressed or to be furious at her, she just played the race card on him. This girl has no shame whatsoever, and yet she's only ten years old. Thank goodness she's not planning to be a lawyer!

While he was taking us to our table, I whispered to Tootie. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"Oh, daddy taught me a few things."

I dared not to ask any more questions.

When we arrived to our table, I took notice of the dining room. The dining room was even more posh than the front. I was impressed, yet angry at the same time. It's sad to see how the rich can eat in places like this, while the poor had to eat in ugly, dilapidated, cockroach-infested buildings.

The place was half-filled, so finding a seat for us shouldn't be a problem. Somehow, the hostess seated us right across from the teens. Also the place was not noisy and there was no music playing. Boy, everything felt so convenient; I thought we were in a TV show! Cindy and Greg were the closest to the table, so seeing their expressions would be easy. It would be a bit harder to see Sue Ann and Scott's expressions and body language since they were sitting behind the other two respectively.

Thanks to this coincidental convenience, we were able to eavesdrop on their conversation. The first thing that caught my ear was when Sue Ann mentioned how nice the restaurant was.

"Wow, this is better than the Cracker Barrel restaurant back home!"

The two guys laughed, especially Greg.

"Cracker Barrel – Hahahaha!"

Sue Ann felt very humiliated and Cindy saw that. Cindy didn't find their laughing funny and showed her displeasing frown. When the boys saw this, they immediately stopped laughing.

"Umm, we're very sorry."

I can see that Cindy was sitting very close to Sue Ann, and Sue Ann's face showed how very uncomfortable she was about it. It looked like she was panicking inside, trying to keep her nervousness hidden. Cindy, why did you have to start your nonsense right now?

The waitress came with a menu.

"So have you guys been here quite often?" Sue Ann asked.

"Not really, only once with my parents." Scott said.

"I've been here once with a previous date, not Blair, she thinks the escargot here is terrible." Greg joked. Scott laughed, but Sue Ann and Cindy didn't, they didn't understand what an escargot mean.

"What's an escargot? Is it some sort of fancy carrot? Does it come with butter and gravy?" Sue Ann asked. The men tried their hardest not to laugh while Cindy just frowned.

"Escargot, are actually snails." Greg responded. Sue Ann made up her face in disgust when she heard that.

"Eeww, gross! Who would eat something so slimy?"

"The French." Scott retorted.

"Oh, speaking of the French, I've heard that Jackie O. is very fluent in French." Sue Ann brought up.

"She is. I don't know why she loves the language and the country so much. I mean the French don't like Americans, they're buddies with those Commies, the Russians." Oh no, here comes that Commie scare. The same one that Reagan is piping up in his campaign. Is this is what our nation driven by, fear?

"Please, let's not talk about politics right now Scott." Greg warned. "I know how much you totally disagree with your family's party and how much you support the candidate Reagan, but now is not the time." Well that confirms that's nothing more than a mindless Reagan supporter!

Scott realized that Greg was right. "You're right. Let's change the subject. So Sue Ann, what is Kansas like?"

"Well, it's very flat and has a lot of farms. It's nothing like New York. It's slow and quiet and rather quaint. I live in a farm with six brothers and sisters and a dog named Tiger. For fun, our church would have events, festivals, and game night on Saturdays. It's a lot of fun. We get to play Monopoly, Parcheesi, Backgammon, Charades, and many other board and parlor games. I also got a pet horse and her name is Stormy. I really love my horse…"

She kept on going about her life in Kansas, boring the two men. At one point, it looked like Scott was about to fall asleep. Tootie was on the side of the guys.

"Doesn't she know that she's blowing it?" Tootie brought up.

"I don't think so." I simply told her. She was so oblivious to everyone else's expression. She's a very smart person, but she would not make a great body reader, she's not very observant.

We continued on listening to her conversation. "And sometimes we have hog races. They're so much fun!"

"She's blowing it."

"Hush Tootie!"

Luckily, Cindy found it interesting. I don't know how, but somehow she did. Her face showed no signs of boredom as her eyes were focused on Sue Ann the entire time.

"Oh that was interesting." Greg responded, though his body language was saying otherwise. "What do you think Scott?"

"Well, that was… fascinating." Scott lied. Judging by his body language, he probably couldn't believe how square she was.

"Thank you, both of you." She was still totally unaware of how bored the guys were. As soon as the menu arrived, she started to read it. "What is Fois Gras?" She asked, pronouncing it like an American unfamiliar with French, with the 's' at the end.

"Fois Gras, what are you talking about?" Asked Scott.

"This." She pointed it on the menu.

Scott tried his best to hold his laughter. "It's FWAH GRAH. It's basically duck liver."

That disgusted the not-so-worldy Sue Ann. "Duck liver? Eewww! Who could eat such a thing?"

"I agree with you, Sue Ann," Cindy commented.

"Again, the French," Greg answered.

"Boy, do those French people eat such weird food. Why?" Sue Ann questioned.

"Actually the French make some of the best foods in the world. French cuisine is loved throughout the world. Those two are just extreme examples. There are others that are much better like Chicken Friand, Quiche Lorraine, various crepes and various croissants," Greg informed.

Sue Ann was surprised at all that. "Really? And the only French food I really know about are French Fries."

The men were trying their best not to laugh, so they politely told her, "Well now you see that there's more to French food then French Fries, which by the way, it originated from Belgium." Greg informed once again.

Cindy was amazed, "Wow, I didn't know that!"

"Well now you know," he ended with a flirtatious wink. Cindy smiled, but only for modesty. Sue Ann's face showed a bit of irritation. Like it was saying 'you winked at MY Cindy? How dare you?'"

Scott was looking at his menu when he finally found what he wanted.

"I think I'll have a Filet Mignon."

"That sounds good." Sue Ann replied.

Scott was surprised. "You know what Filet Mignon is?"

"Yes. It's the end tenderloin of a cow. Back home we supply beef to various grocery stores and butcher shops. See, I'm not so much of a hick as you though." She grinned. The guys laughed. Maybe she's more observant than I though she was?

"Well, we never said that you were, but that's good to hear. Have you ever tried it?" Scott asked.

"Umm, no I haven't."

"Trust me, you'll love it!"

"Okay then, I'll have it as well." Scott had a smile on him. "So what are you having, Cindy?"

"I think I'll have the Salmon Crepes."

"Fish?" Sue Ann asked.

"Yep, I like fish." She said with a sly smile. I don't want to dissect what she really means…

"Fish is not really my thing. I'll have the Beef Steak Tartare." Greg told.

"Excellent choice, Man." Scott replied.

"So tell me, I know that you two are friends, but do you two get into any fights and what not? Sometimes me and Scott argue."

"That's because you are wrong most of the time!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

The girls giggled and Cindy responded, ending their childish quarrel. "Sometimes, but it's over silly stuff that we get over very quickly. But most of the time we get along great! Right Sue Ann?" Cindy told them while giving Sue Ann a short squeeze on her right arm. Sue Ann blushed a bit; surprised that she actually liked it.

"I think that part of it was because we are not roommates. If we were, we probably fight like cats and dogs since we're a bit different."

"Perhaps, but I also think that we could get along like a couple as well." She jested in a playful mood. Then she jokingly laid her head on Sue Ann's right shoulder. Now Sue Ann really started to turn red. She was just blushing like crazy and the nervousness was building up. I saw her forehead glistering, meaning she's starting to sweat. This was all intentional for Cindy was flirting with her. Tootie noticed Sue Ann feeling unnerving as well.

"Umm why is Sue Ann so red and looking like she came out a desert?"

"I don't know Tootie. Maybe she's nervous about the date. You know, with her being around Scott."

"I could see that. I don't know how I would feel if I was with either Scott or Greg."

I just smiled. "I know how I would feel. Greg is just a friend, and I can't stand Scott, so basically I would feel nothing."

While during their conversation, they switched subjects.

"Scott, do you have the new plays for our playbook? I couldn't attend yesterday."

"I do. I'll make you a copy tomorrow."

"Cool. Thank man."

Sue Ann then asked Greg, "What are the plays?"

"Some plays you probably won't understand or know."

"How do you know that?"

Greg laughed, "Because, you don't play football."

"How do you know that? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I don't play football. And it sure doesn't mean that I don't know anything about football."

Scott's left eyebrow went up when he heard that. "Really? Then tell me who won the Super Bowl earlier this year."

"Oh that's easy, it's Pittsburg. 35-31 over Dallas." Sue Ann responded. Then Cindy chipped in.

"That was a great game. Bradshaw had 318 and four passing touchdowns. He was the Super Bowl MVP. That was a great Super Bowl."

"It sure was. Did you see that missed catch that Staubach threw to Jackie Smith?" Sue Ann asked her.

"I sure did! I mean he was so wide open, how could he have missed it? But I'm glad that it happened to them. That's what they get for talking crap about the Rams. America's Team… Pfff! They wish!"

"Yeah, America's overrated team. Hey, at least the Rams made the playoffs. The Chiefs haven't been to the playoff since that long game with Miami back in 1971."

"Yeah, but at least the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, can't say the same about the Rams."

The guys were surprised at the two women's knowledge of football.

"So you two are into football?" Greg asked.

"You bet! I've been watching the Chiefs since I was six and I got Len Dawson's autographed signature!" Sue Ann expressed to them excitedly.

"And I've been watching the Rams since I was five. I've attended quite a few games with Mom and Dad when they were playing in the LA Memorial Coliseum."

Both men said in unison "Cool!" Then they gave each other a not-so-loud five. After all, they're in a respectable restaurant.

"This is too good to be true. It's like all of our dreams for a girl came true!" Scott elated.

"I know, Man. There is a God after all!"

Cindy and Sue Ann giggled. "I know it's unusual to find girls that are into Football, let alone sports."

"Yeah tell me about it…" Greg sighed while rolling his eyes. Yep, he sure was referring to Blair. "When me and Blair were watching Notre Dame vs. Southern Cal. the other day, she was totally clueless about the game. The only thing she cared about was which defensive linemen had the cutest butt." Everybody at the table laughed. "She was also teasing me that I was checking out one of the cheerleaders, asking me did I think that brunette cheerleader was hot?" Even more laughs were generated from the table. Ah ha! That's even more evidence about Blair's true sexuality. "Blair can be quite jealous." Oh tell me about it, Brother!

"Yeah, I think that's part of the reason why she hates Cindy so much, because of your interest in her." Sue Ann reasoned.

"Well, she should get over it and get herself a new man. She still has 35% of the remaining Peekskill male population to work with." Cindy hawked. Now everyone was laughing hysterically. It's true, many people see Blair as something of a hoe.

"Yeah, why does she date a lot of men, and then dump them expectantly? Is she trying to set a Guinness book of world records or something? What is she trying to prove?" Scott pondered. Everybody was wondering the same, but I noted something else in Cindy's facial expressions. It looks like she was seriously questioning something. It looked like the same expression my face probably had when I started to realize that Blair might be gay. I'm starting to think that Cindy suspecting that as well. Cindy can put two and two together.

Then their food came in. "Here you go Monsieur." Here's your Beef Steak Tartar."

"Thank you." Greg responded.

"And for you Monsieur and Madame, here are your Filet Mignons."

"Thanks Madame." Scott and Sue Ann replied back.

"Finally, for you Madame, your Salmon Crepe."

"Thanks. It looks delicious!" Cindy chimed to the waitress.

"Trust me Madame, it is."

While they were eating, Sue Ann was looking at Cindy. It seemed that Cindy noticed and she started to eat her food in a slow and seductive matter. Tootie took notice.

"Why is she eating like that?"

As I was examining the facial expressions of each one of them, I noticed how Greg was starting to turn red. He thought that it was directed towards him. Boy, he couldn't have been any more wrong, but it gave me a good lie to tell Tootie.

"That's what some ladies do to make a man notice them. It's part of flirting."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's to see if their object of desire, in this case being Greg, is interested in them. That's how a woman gets a man's attention, since it's not custom for a woman to pursue a man." Of course, I couldn't tell her that it really was Sue Ann.

"Oh I see."

This raised a serious question, where did this 'tomboy' learn how to girlishly flirt? Or how to seduce someone? She's not supposed to know this stuff. Someone or something must have taught her.

My interest however was not in Greg, but it was in Sue Ann. It was kind of hard to see from my angle, but I did notice that Sue Ann was a bit red herself. Flushing red, she had to excuse herself.

"Excuse me, I have to head to the bathroom."

"Okay." And she left. Cindy was grinning from ear-to-ear. Cindy knew she had her intended effect on Sue Ann.

When Sue Ann got up from the table and walked toward us, Tootie quickly motioned to me to look away so that all Sue Ann could see was the back of our heads. That was close; the last thing I want to do is have to explain this to Mrs. Garrett.

Just then, Cindy piped up, "Sue Ann, wait for me. I'll come with you."

Scott rolled his eyes and groaned. "Why is it that women always have to go to the bathroom together?"

Cindy smiled at Scott, "Worried that we're going to talk about you behind your back?"

Scott replied, "Why should I be worried?"

Cindy stood up, "Great, then if you'll excuse me for a moment."

Tootie and I continued to look the other way when Cindy went to go past our table, and everything would have been fine, except that Tootie didn't realize her foot was sticking out in the aisle and Cindy managed to trip over it.

"Hey watch where you put your foot! I nearly -" Cindy bellowed at us, then she stopped and stared at us for a bit. "Wait a minute, what are you doing here? Tootie, if you're going to spy on me, at least use a different wig from when we spied on Blair."

Me and Tootie laughed uncomfortably. Unfortunately, the two boys heard what Cindy said and spotted us. Uh oh.

"Uh… Hi." I said nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, why are you spying on us?" Cindy demanded with her hands on her waist.

"We weren't spying on you guys. We were enjoying our dinner." Tootie answered nervously.

"Yes you were! You wouldn't be wearing these wigs." Greg said as he snatched my wig off my head. He looked at the wig and scoff at its tackiness. "Not even Dolly Parton would wear something like this!"

"Well, well, if it isn't your little buddy Molly, and this black girl." Scott derided. Tootie didn't like the 'black girl' statement one bit, and I can't blame her.

"Excuse me? I'm not just some 'black girl', I'm Tootie Ramsey."

"Oh it's The Mouth! Boots told me about you."

"You're actually that stupid to believe a word from that snot?" I derided. Scott looked at me with some anger. His face was saying, 'How dare you talk about my friend like that.' Sorry, but that's how I feel about her. Greg perceived his anger as well and quickly calmed things down.

"Molly that was not necessary. Now please tell us why you two are here?"

I was in a bad situation. I had to think fast. I had to think of a convenient way not to take all the blame from this.

"Um… It was her idea!" I quickly pointed to Tootie. It really was her idea. Tootie eyes widened and looked at me with disbelief. She was starting to get nervous as I noticed her shaking her leg.

"Not surprising, since everybody knows Tootie does a lot of snooping." Sue Ann disparaged.

"I-I-I-I" Tootie stuttered nervously.

"No need to explain. Save it for Mrs. Garrett when we see her after we get back. The food is getting cold, so let's go back and eat." Scott said.

Stunned at all of this, we didn't say anything for a bit, until Tootie stated the obvious. "Ooooooh, we are in trouuuuuuuubbbbbllllllle!"

"No kidding, Sherlock." I retorted bitterly.

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The ride back was silent for me and Tootie as we were sitting in the back of Greg's station wagon. We were terrified of what our fates will be. What will Mrs. Garrett do to us? I know she won't go lightly on us for this. Finally we arrived and Mrs. Garrett answered the door.

"Well hello there, how was the dinner?"

"It was fine, but we picked up something at the dinner." Scott said. He pushed both of us in front of Mrs. Garrett. We were wearing our wigs at the time. "Do these two look familiar?"

"Well besides the fact that they looked like the mini-sized version of Dolly Parton and Diana Ross, they sure do." Her face really showed how angry she was, as she tightened her lip and gave us that icy glare. "Well, did you two had fun tonight?"

"Y-y-yeah, Mrs. Garrett." I stuttered. Oh boy, I'm in deep waters now. She focused her attention back to the boys.

"Scott and Greg, thanks for bringing all of them home, and before curfew as well."

"No problem. We got to get going, we got our own curfew to meet." Greg responded.

"I understand, the last thing I want is your headmaster on our doorstep!" Mrs. Garrett joked. Their headmaster is a retired 3-star Army general.

"Yeah, and the last thing we want is for him to make us do drills 'til it's 1982!" Scott groaned.

Mrs. Garrett chuckled. "I don't want that happening to you two fine gentlemen. Well, hope to see you next time and have a good night."

"You too Mrs. Garrett, good night." Scott said and they left the area.

As soon as they left, Mrs. Garrett spoke to Cindy and Sue Ann. "Besides being spied upon by Molly and Tootie, how was the date?"

Sue Ann spoke first. "It was great. I was a bit nervous at time, but everything turned out fine."

"It sure did." Cindy added with a big grin on her face as she winked at Sue Ann. Sue Ann started to turn red and was panicking again. I know Mrs. Garrett had to notice, for it was very obvious and she's quick on picking up these things, but she also has a great Poker face. I just slightly shook my head in disapproval and Cindy saw that, she just showed me her mischievous smile.

"Plans for another date I guess?"

"Sure, but it won't be a double date. Me and Scott are going out again when he's not busy."

"And me and Greg are going out again as well." Cindy said with a small smile. It was so half-hearted that I suspected Mrs. Garrett picked up on it, but if she did, she didn't show any signs of it, she just smiled like everything was all right.

"That's great to hear. Well you two just go on upstairs. I'll deal with these two."

They quickly went upstairs. Now it was time for me and Tootie to face Mrs. Garrett's wrath.

"What in the world were you two thinking?" She irately sneered.

"Well, Mrs. Garrett, we - " Tootie began.

"Don't even start with me, Tootie. This is far from your first offense. How would you like it if someone spied on your date? And Molly, I expected better of you," Mrs. Garrett continued her tirade.

I looked down at the floor, "I'm really sorry Mrs. Garrett."

Mrs. Garrett looked at both of us, "You're going to be even sorrier when you are doing their chores for them for an entire month."

WHAT! I expected her to go hard on us, but not this hard!

"But Mrs. Garrett…" Tootie started.

"No buts. And you're both going to apologize to your friends. Right this minute, go!" Mrs. Garrett ordered, and when Mrs. Garrett told you to do something, you better do it.

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Cindy was in Sue Ann's room with Natalie, talking about the date, when we entered in. Natalie was the first to speak up.

"Well look who just came, Kelly and Scotty of 'I Spy'? So which one of you was the tennis player again?"

"Ha-ha, very funny Natalie. We are here for a serious issue. We came to apologize for what we did." I told them. Then I took a deep breath and continued. "We know what we did was wrong and that we want to make it up to you."

"It's okay; it wasn't that big of deal anyway." Sue Ann shrugged.

"Yeah, but next time, use a better disguise." Cindy recommended as she took the wig from my hand and looked at it dismissively.

We didn't respond back, for there really wasn't much else to say. Me and Tootie went back to our room and I didn't say anything to Tootie. I was just too upset with her. Even when she said 'Goodnight Molly' to me, I didn't reply back. Thanks to Tootie's crazy idea, I have a month's worth of extra chores to look forward to. Thanks a lot Tootie.

Still, I did get to find out what Cindy had planned, and somehow managed to keep Tootie not knowing that neither Sue Ann nor Cindy was interested in the boys that they were dating. I also got to practice my body language reading skills. So the evening wasn't all bad, I suppose. I'm still angry at Tootie, but not quite as much as I was when she tried to say good night.

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	11. Chapter 11

Man that punishment sucked. I will never listen to any of Tootie's ideas ever again. I was so mad at her, I didn't speak to her for an entire week, and it probably would have lasted longer, if Mrs. Garrett didn't have a talk with me in the kitchen.

"Molly, can I have a word with you?"

"Sure."

"Listen, I know you're upset with Tootie over what happened last week, but you can't keep this up," she warned me, with motherly concern in her voice.

"Why not? She got me in trouble."

"But it was also your fault. She didn't force you to come with her."

"If she didn't think of something like that, then this would have not happened," I answered, trying to excuse my behavior, but it didn't work on Mrs. Garrett and she reminded me of a disastrous past event involving me and Tootie.

"Well that's how Tootie is, but you shouldn't be so hard on her. Remember when you spoke to Tootie about joining that march last spring which ended badly?"

I remember the march like it was yesterday. It was to protest the working conditions of the Chug-A-Lug bar waitresses. Besides having to wear short skimpy shorts and tight shirts, there were rumors of sexual harassment within the establishment floating around. Over twenty feminists from the area participated, and I tried to get my schoolmates to join me. Tootie was the only one who agreed to participate. When we were there, everything was fine and peaceful, until the owner ordered his goons to beat us up. Luckily, neither one of us got hurt, but Tootie didn't speak to me for a few days. Now I see what Mrs. Garrett was talking about.

"I think I get your point."

"I hope so. Molly, shouldn't you forgive her, just like she forgave you?

"Yes."

"Good. Now go apologize to Tootie."

"Now?"

"Now," she gave me a serious look, commanding me to do it. "It's the perfect time. She's alone in your room."

"Okay."

Reluctantly, I went upstairs and saw her sitting at the desk, doing her Social Studies homework. She looked at me and went back to doing her homework, but her face said a lot in that short time. I saw sadness and regret in her eyes, asking me to forgive her

I took a deep breath and went over to her. "Tootie, can I speak to you?"

"Why? So you can tell me how angry you are at me?" I could hear the hurt and pain in her voice. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"I am still a bit angry, but most of it went away." I paused to gather some of my courage. Because by then, I was very scared. "I just want to tell you I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being so angry at you when I was just as much at fault as you were."

"Oh, there's no need. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was the one who talked you into spying on them. I'm sorry for getting you into trouble. Are we friends again?" she asked, truly remorseful and sincere.

"Of course, we're friends."

It will take more than that to sever my friendship with her, but since she's less mature than I am, I understand why she asked.

She stood up and we hugged. I noticed the door was wide open and Mrs. Garrett was watching us. Tootie saw her as well. I could accuse Mrs. Garrett of spying, but since the door was wide open, I really couldn't say anything. Tootie saw her smiling and then she walked away.

This was like a weight was lifted from my chest. Forgiveness can be such a wonderful thing. It takes a lot to do it, but once it's done, it feels great. I'm so glad to have that out of the way, now our friendship can continue as usual.

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Later on in the week, Mrs. Garrett reduced our chores. Not because she was being sympathetic to Tootie and me, but because she noticed Cindy was taking advantage of the situation. Knowing she didn't have to do any chores, Cindy would do things like, leave a dirty fork in the kitchen sink, instead of washing it, not make up her bed in the morning, and create more trash than usual. It got to the point where all my anger shifted from Tootie to Cindy. I stopped talking to her because of it. If I said anything to her, there would be nothing but four and five letter words coming out of my mouth.

One day, Cindy left a dirty saucer in the sink for me to wash. I was about to wash it, but then Sue Ann walked up to me.

"Did Cindy leave that saucer in the sink?"

"Yep. That's her saucer." I told her with the sponge in my hand, ready to wash it. Sue Ann took the sponge out of my hand and told me to leave.

"Molly, just go. I'll wash it."

"Thanks."

"No problem. I'm going to have a word with Cindy." I hope so. I'm sick and tired of Cindy's crap, excuse my language, but that's how angry I am.

As I was about to head out, I turned and asked her a question.

"Sue Ann, when are you going on another date with Scott?" I was just curious.

"Sometime after the break, I hope. He hasn't called or anything. Why?" There was a slight hesitation when she asked me that question, as if she thought I was looking into her soul.

"If it happens, I bet you are looking forward to it, aren't you?" I responded casually, not letting on I know her real feelings.

"I sure am," she lied. Her body language was exposing her 'lies', as she showed signs of uneasiness. Gritting her teeth and smiling too much are her signature signs of lying.

"Well, I hope he calls back." I answered her lie with a lie. I hope he goes away, not just for Cindy's sake, but for mine as well. I can't stand him!

She smiled back. "Thanks."

I left the kitchen feeling better about Sue Ann. She can be quite naïve and stubborn, yet she does have a soft side.

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For the rest of the week, my main concern was my parents' divorce, now that dad started seeing another woman. I can't believe he is dating someone else! It led me to read an article in Harper's magazine about divorce and how it affects children. I hope I don't have to see that witch when he comes to pick me up for Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner. One Monday night, during Thanksgiving week, while I was reading in the kitchen, I heard some noise coming from the living room. When I checked it out, I saw Blair coming in with Boyfriend of the Week, Jason Haas. They just returned from rehearsal. Eastland and Bates are putting on a joint version of Shakespeare's classic, "Romeo and Juliet." It will begin in two weeks. Of course, Jason is Romeo and Blair is Juliet. I couldn't think of a better "actress" to be Juliet. She's been pretending to like men for years, so pretending to like a man for a night, shouldn't be too much of a stretch for her.

Here's a little info on Jason. Jason is a very confident cocky guy who thinks he's Casanova and Don Juan rolled into one. He sees himself as the next Jan-Michael Vincent. To me, he's no different from the rest of the Bates boys, but girls go crazy for him. He's had a grudge against Greg Hockney for a while, ever since Greg was dating Blair. From what Greg told me, Jason has had his sights on Blair for a long time.

With the front door still open, Jason wasted no time making his move on the always-flirtatious Blair. The room was dark enough for them not to notice me, but there was enough moonlight for me to see them and their faces, which is just how I liked it.

"I'm glad rehearsal went well," she told him, flashing her trademark smile.

"So am I, but I could use a little more practice." Oh my goodness, where does he get his pick-up lines? From Playboy magazine?

I noticed Blair was hesitant and laughed nervously as Jason leaned in to kiss her. This was a perfect time to examine her body language. It was very clear she was very uncomfortable about him kissing her. She squirmed a lot while he was kissing her and tried to back away as much as possible. She also did her best not to kiss him back. Now don't think this could be automatically interpreted as a sign of her homosexuality; she could just not be interested in him. However, this is not the first time I've seen her do this with the guys she dates. She has done this many times before. When other people are around, she's not discreet when kissing them. In fact, I think she loves the attention. It feels like an act. A section in the body language book covered repetitive behavior. The book stated certain repetitive behaviors of a person's body express what's really going on in their mind. It's like their fingerprint.

This brings up another one of her past dates, my friend Greg. He was one of her longest dates ever. They were together for a good five months before they broke up. From what he told me, it was always awkward when they smooched. She was not into it very much, and he noticed her eyes were usually open, looking somewhere else, like she wanted to be somewhere else. When people smooch, they tend to close their eyes. Supposedly, that's because it allows the lovers to focus on the experience and not be distracted by something else. That's what I've heard, since me and Ralph has never gotten any further than a simple kiss on the lips, and I'm fine with that. I'm not going to let him go beyond first base with me!

That's another thing about Blair. She'll let guys get to first base easily, but she never lets them get to second. Not that I see anything wrong with it, but when someone claims to like men as much as Blair, I wouldn't expect that person to be such a prude when it comes to physical affection. Granted, Blair's a tease, but what does she get out of it? It's apparent she's not enjoying it, so then it must mean she's using it to hide something else about her.

Another thing, I once overheard her telephone conversation with a psychologist. I didn't intentionally eavesdrop on the conversation; I was waiting to call Ralph. When I asked her about the call, she told me it was to deal with her parents' divorce. That might be reasonable, but her parents divorced eight years ago. She started seeing the psychologist this summer. Tootie told me this and it coincided with the time Blair started to hate Cindy. The more I think about it, the more the pieces start to come together, and the more I realize I've got more missing pieces to deal with.

After what might seem like an eternity to Blair, she finally put on the brakes. "Jason, let's just say goodnight for now."

"But why? There's no one else here."

"And a certain redhead is here as well," said the certain redhead, as she entered from the steps, and turned on the lights.

"OH! Hi Mrs. Garrett," Blair sheepishly greeted. I have to admit, I get a kick out of watching Blair's facial expressions, she's very animated.

"I see you two are getting in some extra 'rehearsal' for the play," she said in her usual tongue-in-cheek tone.

"Well, what can I say… practice makes perfect," Blair replied with a guilty smile.

"Yeah, we really want to get it right," Jason added, trying his best not to show how nervous he was. Nice try buddy, but you're not that good of an actor.

I noticed Blair rapidly tapping on the side of her leg. Yep, that's another way someone shows they are tense.

"Well, I'm sure Blair has had enough "rehearsal" for today, right?" Mrs. Garret's voice grew sterner.

"Yes Mrs. Garrett." Blair's response was very accommodating, like she was relieved and wanted to thank Mrs. Garrett for saving her from Jason.

"You're totally right. Well, I have to get going. See you at the auditorium Blair," he said as he gallantly blew a kiss to her.

Blair smiled and waved at him, "Bye Jason."

After he left, Blair turned and found a rather concerned Mrs. Garrett looking at her.

"I know you are a busy girl, but you have other homework assignments to finish. You have a History paper to do, a Biology test coming up, and don't forget the poem…"

"Yes, I know Mrs. Garrett. I know I need to get them done."

"So you need to take that seat of yours upstairs and put it in the seat at your desk," she told Blair, as she patted the right side of her behind. As soon as she turned away from Blair, Blair jokingly patted her on her butt twice and ran upstairs. It was hilarious. I laughed loud enough for Mrs. Garrett to hear me.

"Molly? Were you here the entire time?" I was surprised she didn't see me the entire time.

"I sure was. I saw everything."

She gave me a serious look and told me, "You know you've eavesdropped again?"

I gulped, "Ummm… no, not really."

"Well, you did. You're lucky Blair didn't find out. This is a warning. Next time, you will have to clean the stable for two weeks."

"What?" No, not the stable! I can't stand stable work.

"Do I make myself clear Molly?"

"Yes Mrs. Garrett."

"Don't be like Tootie."

"Trust me Mrs. Garrett, I won't."

Mrs. Garrett asked me, "For Blair's sake, I want to know what Jason did before I arrived. Did he try to force her?"

"They didn't do much and he didn't force her. They kissed a little, but it seemed Blair was reluctant. In fact, she seemed pretty relieved you stopped it."

Mrs. Garrett didn't say anything as she looked like she was mulling over what I said. I suspect she suspects the same thing I do about Blair.

"So she did. I think I'll go make myself a sandwich. Please don't tell me there is no more bacon."

"No, but we ran out of bread."

" Well, I guess I'll just use extra lettuce like bread and pretend it's the green version of Wonder bread," she joked as she headed to the kitchen.

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The next day, as she promised, Sue Ann had a word with Cindy. Tootie saw the two arguing in our room the other day and she told me.

"Don't you know what you are doing is wrong? I know you've been leaving dirty dishes and clothes for them to wash. You're taking advantage of them," Sue Ann scolded.

"Not really. They shouldn't have spied on us. Now they're paying the price for it," Cindy responded.

"Yeah, but you're making their work unnecessarily harder. Your actions are no better than what they did!"

"How so? They had no right to be there on our date!"

"No, they didn't, but that's no excuse for you to take advantage of them! You should go and apologize to them," Sue Ann commanded.

"What? Heck no!"

"Fine, then don't speak to me until you apologize!"

Tootie told me Sue Ann stormed out of the room furious. "Sue Ann, come back please. I'm very sorry!"

Tootie was lucky Sue Ann didn't spot her along the way. When Tootie looked at in the room, Cindy was crying. Then Tootie muttered to herself, "I'll give her something that will make her apologize…"

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The next day was chore day, and Cindy's day to clean the room. This was part of her punishment for taking advantage of us. She and Sue Ann still weren't speaking to each other, and it bothered Cindy quite a bit.

Back in our room, Tootie asked, "You know what today is?" She smiled a rather devilish smile. I knew Tootie was up to something. Whatever it was, I didn't want to be a part of it!

"No, what is it?" I reluctantly asked. I'm going to make it clear I want no part in any of her half-baked, harebrained schemes. I'm still undecided on who is worse, Blair and her "brilliant ideas," or Tootie and her schemes.

"It's Cindy's day to clean the room. So I was thinking…" she trailed off. It's a good thing the two of us were thinking the same thing; there won't be any hard feelings after we are done.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's make it look like a tornado hit this room."

"Yeah! She should be used to it back in L.A.," Tootie joked.

"No Tootie. In L.A., they have earthquakes, not tornados. Where Sue Ann lived, they have tornados."

"Oh… well, let's make a natural disaster out of this place!"

We sealed the deal with a high-five and started messing the place up. We threw our dirty clothes all over the place, messed up the beds, threw the pillows on the floor, and the tops of our dressers looked like that the junk house on the TV show, Sanford and Son. The room was so junky, Fred G. Sanford would have felt at home! By the way, what does the 'G' stands for?

When we were finished, we smiled at our 'accomplishment'.

"Just wait until Cindy sees this, she will freak out!" Tootie said proudly, while offering me a high-five. I didn't say anything and just returned the high-five to her. The huge grin on my face gave Tootie my answer.

We went to Natalie and Sue Ann's room to hang out with Natalie and listen to Tootie's gossip. She had so much gossip to tell, she could be her own tabloid magazine!

About an hour later, we heard Cindy scream. It was loud enough for us to hear it from the other room. Fortunately, Mrs. Garrett didn't hear it. She was probably busy making dinner downstairs. Tootie and me gave each other devious smiles.

"What was that?" Natalie asked. Tootie and me just smiled at each other.

"Oh it's Cindy getting her due punishment," I said as we headed to our room. When we arrived, we saw a miffed and peeved Cindy.

"What the heck happened in here? No one told me tornados existed in Peekskill!"

"Not unless it's man-made," I said from behind her. She turned around and saw me and Tootie smugly smiling at her. She looked furious.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" She scowled.

"Actually, WE did it on purpose, to pay you back for what you've been doing to us," I told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, rather rudely.

"What we mean is all those times you left dirty dishes and dirty clothes for us." Tootie told her with both of her hands planted firmly on her hips. We were not smiling. Cindy got angry. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop-out of their sockets.

While Sue Ann uses her mouth, Cindy uses her eyes to express her feelings. They say that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul. Her eyes really are the windows to her soul. She's animated and tends to wear her heart on her sleeve, just like Blair. Maybe that's why they hate each other so much, because they're so much alike in both positive and negative aspects.

It looked like Cindy was about to go off on us again, but she suddenly had a change of heart and sulked after realizing how guilty she really was.

"You're right; I have been taking advantage of you both. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"Well, we accept your apology." Tootie replied.

"Oh, that's great!" Cindy smiled, thinking she was getting off scot-free. How wrong she was.

"But that doesn't mean you don't have to clean up the room." I firmly told her, reminding her of her task.

"Yeah!" Tootie said as she pointed to the mess.

Cindy groaned, "Okay...," and started cleaning up. Tootie and me just smiled at each other.

"We will check on you every twenty minutes, so don't try anything slick."

She sighed, "I won't."

"Good." I shut the door and hoped she learned her lesson, like we did.

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On one of our check-ups, we saw Sue Ann enter the room. We decided to stay and snoop.

"So, those two took advantage of your situation? How do you feel now?"

"Crummy, just plain crummy. Did they tell you I finally apologized?"

"Yeah, they did. It's about time, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it was."

"Look, even though we had an argument yesterday, I am still your friend, your best friend."

"No Sue Ann, you were right, I was taking advantage of them. That was very mean and cruel for me to do to my friends, especially Molly, who I consider my second best friend – after you, of course."

"Well, it's great you still think of me as your best friend. If you still want, I'll go with you to the roller derby."

"That's awesome!" Cindy hugged her. "Can I ask you one big favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you help me clean up this room?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay folks, I'm letting you readers decide this one. What do you think? Should Sue Ann help Cindy clean up the room as a sign of friendship, or should she let Cindy clean up the room all by herself, to teach her a lesson?
> 
> Please review with your answer. The winning response will be in Chapter 12.


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you to everyone who voted, your vote has determined what Sue Ann will do next:

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"Can I ask you a big favor?" Cindy asked.

"Sure," Sue Ann hesitantly answered.

Cindy silently stared at her feet, making Sue Ann a bit nervous.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Sue Ann, Cindy slowly looked up with sad puppy dog eyes and asked, "Can you help me clean up this room?"

Tootie and I watched with great interest. Tootie offered what she wanted Sue Ann to do.

"I hope Sue Ann tells her no, cause that would really make my day," She said with a snarky grin.

I didn't answer her, instead, I examined Sue Ann's body language for a bit. In what felt like a heartbeat, her body went from tense to what I stared at now. Her shoulders drooped a bit, and she dipped her head, as if she was sad or sympathetic, even though she frowned. I didn't think Tootie would like the answer.

After a moment, Sue Ann's frown turned into a small smile and she replied, "Why certainly." Her smile turned into a full grin. Cindy grinned as well and they began cleaning the room together.

The bewildered look on Tootie's face told me she was not happy.

"What! How could she be so stupid? Why would she agree to help her out, after all she had done?"

I looked at Tootie and simply replied, "It's rather complicated."

"Rather complicated? What?"

I just walked her back to Natalie's room. I assured her, "We'll talk more about it later, but right now, let's get out of here before they spot us."

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Just before Thanksgiving break, Cindy's and Sue Ann's friendship seemed to be mended, which was just in time for roller derby season. They went to see a women's roller derby match at the Peekskill Pavilion. Tootie wanted to go; she loves roller derby, since she's a skater herself, but she was still being punished and couldn't go, so Cindy and Sue Ann were able to go by themselves. I've noticed she and Sue Ann have gotten even closer after their reconciliation. They're sort of acting like a couple.

While they were gone, a mutual friend came by to visit.

"Hey squirt, how are you doing?" Greg teased me.

"You know I hate being called 'squirt.'"

He chuckled, "Of course, I've known you for five years."

"Yeah, I know that," I huffed. It was hard to forget. The first time he saw me, he called me 'Raggedy Ann.' "Why don't you sit down and make yourself comfortable?"

"Sure." He sat down and watched TV. It was a rerun of "The Bionic Woman," so I sat down and watched it with him. Natalie came down from upstairs.

"Hey Greg, what are you doing here?" Natalie asked.

"Oh, I was in the area, so I decided to stop by and see squirt," Greg playfully nudged me, but I didn't like it.

"That's cool. Where's Scott?"

"He's back at the dorm, listening to music. He didn't want to come out."

"Oh, okay," Natalie smiled and joined us on the couch.

"'Bionic Woman!' I've seen this episode. This is the one with the bus driver who helps Jamie save the kids, but it brought the two murderers' attention to him, since …"

"Natalie!" Greg and I shouted in unison.

"Okay, I'll be quiet," Natalie sunk back into the couch.

A little over fifteen minutes later, Cindy and Sue Ann returned. They were surprised to see Greg.

"Greg, what are you doing here?" Cindy asked. I could tell by the tone of her voice and her body language, she was bewildered, but also a bit suspicious.

"Yeah, we didn't expect to see you here," Sue Ann added.

"Hi Cindy," Greg stood up, blushing like a schoolboy with his first crush. "I was in the area and decided to stop by and see you… and Molly, of course." I rolled my eyes at Greg's blatant afterthought.

"Oh… I see," Cindy mumbled, too stunned to say anything.

"I also wanted to ask you for a date. I was hoping this time, no Scott, and no offense to you Sue Ann, no Sue Ann. And…absolutely no snoops," he turned his head in my direction and smirked. Natalie was smirking at me too. I just looked away from those two. "Oh, by the way Sue Ann, Scott asked me to tell you to call him. He wants to set up another date."

"Oh that's great!" Sue Ann said, trying to sound elated, but it sounded more like acting, than real excitement. It seemed like she was trying to force herself to be excited. "I'm so glad he wants to go out with me again."

"I am too," Cindy said through a forced smiled. I knew she wanted to scream in rage over this. I noticed her tightly clenched fist…her way of trying to hide her anger. I saw Greg was oblivious to Cindy's reaction.

"So, Cindy, when do you want to go out?" Greg smiled.

"Uh…," Cindy hedged, clearly showing signs of apprehension, "…how about next week? I still have a stupid poetry assignment to worry about."

"I thought you were almost done?" Sue Ann questioned.

"Yeah, but I want to clean it up." Cindy lied.

"That's cool with me. How about next Tuesday?" Greg pressed.

Judging by the sweat on Cindy's forehead, I figured she probably wanted to die right now.

"Umm, maybe not next Tuesday. I have another test to study for," Cindy said. I could see she was desperately trying to find a way to put off the date.

Greg flashed his crooked, yet charming smile, "I see…you think I'm going to take you to another boring, stuffy restaurant, right? Well, I'm not. Instead, I'm going to take you to the Knicks game. They're playing against the Houston Rockets and I got tickets. They're not front row, but they're not in the "nose bleed" section either. I was going to take either Scott or one of the other guys with me, but since I know you like sports, I thought it would be a perfect date for the both of us. So what do you say?"

I felt bad for Cindy, because Greg got her with this one. I could see he was doing everything he could to make her his girl. I don't remember him going this far to get Blair. Cindy replied nervously with a cheesy grin, "Sounds fine to me." I thought it sure didn't, and Sue Ann's tightened lips said it didn't sound fine to her either.

"That's cool," Greg beamed at Cindy and then turned to me, "So Molly, tell me more about this place. The few times I've been here, I've only seen this room."

"Well, it's just a regular dorm really. We have the kitchen over here, and there's the dinning room. Also…" I spent the rest of Greg's visit giving him a short tour of our dorm, since Mrs. Garrett was helping Mr. Bradley with the "Romeo and Juliet" play.

"What's upstairs?" Greg asked, as I concluded the tour.

"Our rooms," I answered.

Greg started heading up the stairs, but Sue Ann and Natalie blocked his path.

"No boys upstairs!" Sue Ann yelled a bit too loud. The fire in her eyes was very revealing.

Greg turned around and I told him, "Greg, you should know better."

"Sorry." He moped.

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After the Thanksgiving holiday, we all returned from our respective Thanksgiving vacations. It was nice going home to Rochester, but I didn't like having that womanat my family's Thanksgiving dinner. My dad was happy, but I wasn't, and I let him know. I made a big fuss at the dinner and we haven't talked much since then. Anyway, I'm back at Eastland and I don't have to deal with that woman anymore.

On Monday, Sue Ann was lying on her bed, reading a "National Geographic." I was curious about what she was reading, since I like that magazine. They bring you the entire world in only 600 pages! Thanks to that magazine, I've learned so much about different countries and cultures.

"What are you reading Sue Ann?"

"I'm reading an article called, 'The Trouble with Dolphins'. It's about what scientists know, and don't know about dolphins."

"Oh, that's interesting." It really was, because I'm into biology stuff, but not as much as this future Marine Biologist. "Is it about their intelligence?"

"Yep, that's part of it, but it also covers their diet and how they function in captivity."

"Wow, that really sounds interesting, especially the part about how they function in captivity. I believe no wild animal should be held in captivity. If I had my way, I would eliminate all zoos from the face of the earth. Wild animals should remain wild, not used as cheap exploitation for human interest."

"I totally agree with you Molly. They are precious creatures who contribute to the ecosystem by controlling the fish population. Hey, are you interested in being a Marine Biologist too? I've always been fascinated by the ocean. I guess it's because where I'm from, the pond near the dairy farm is the largest body of water around."

"Oh, I see, so what is your hometown like?"

"My family lives in the rural area of Kansas City. It's full of humble farmers. They're nice and friendly, unlike in the big cities. However, they're very stuck in their ways."

"I wouldn't survive out there, would I?"

Sue Ann chuckled, "Probably not. They'd get upset with your 'city slicker' ways, even though Kansas City is nearby. They're not big on stuff like activism. In fact, they don't believe in abortion, school busing, environmentalism, the separation of church and state, or even…h-homosexuality."

I nodded my head in silent agreement. I knew she was right. I wouldn't last very long out there. It wouldn't be because I'm afraid of them… I would be bored to death out there! I noted her uneasiness when she said the word 'homosexuality,' as if she feels a certain shame about it. She also bit her lip, immediately after she said the word. The book states this is a 'fear' reaction. I realized I needed to let her know her feelings for Cindy are okay, but I don't know how to do that.

"I imagine that, it being the Midwest and all. Imagine a bunch of homosexuals being in that area? I bet the locals would steer clear of them," I joked.

"They'd probably condemned them to hell, or worse, beat them up. Even so, it still has its nice qualities; like not everybody is in a rush, people are always friendly, and there's a strong sense of pride, family, and community. They have a lot of pride for this country, sometimes a little too much, but I guess that's better than having no pride."

I thought it best to keep my opinions to myself, since I didn't see it like that. I didn't see the sense of community or pride here, except for selfish and stubborn pride. Don't get me started on family, since my family is pretty much no more. Maybe the Midwest can teach me a few things after all.

I saw how uneasy she felt talking about gays, so I changed the subject, "I see. When you went home for Thanksgiving, how was it?"

"It was mostly fine. My parents looked at me like I came from another planet when they saw the clothes I was wearing!" I chuckled, at the thought of her parents seeing their country daughter turned into a New York "city slicker." "Except for that, everything was fine. I went shopping on the Missouri side of Kansas City the other day and found what they called 'the latest fashions', I saw here six months earlier!" We laughed. "I can't imagine a better place to have Thanksgiving than in Kansas. We had Thanksgiving at my grandparents' house; it's a Weaver tradition. All the relatives were there, even a few out-of-town ones I haven't seen for years. They told me how proud they were that I was accepted here. My parents were especially proud. They talked about me a lot, like I'm their golden child. Molly, I'm deeply worried I might not live up to their expectations."

"Sue Ann, there's only one person's expectations you have to live up to, yours, and no one else's. They're not living your life, and you're not living theirs, so don't let that get to you," I advised. I knew where this was going and wanted to reassure her everything was all right.

"But there are things about me they don't understand. There are things about myself, I don't understand," she said, frustrated, but then sighed, "Forget it Molly, it's not your problem."

"It's not, but you're making it worse by seeing it as a problem. I'm your friend, I want to help you as much as you are willing to let me. I may not know exactly what you're talking about, but I do know this, it's probably not as big a deal as you think."

Sue Ann gave me a doubtful look, "It's bigger than you think."

I was about to respond, but someone knocked on the door, "Molly, are you in there?" Mrs. Garrett asked.

"Yes, do you need something Mrs. Garrett?"

"Yes I do. Can you show me how to use this camera of yours? I can't seem to get the flash working."

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute." As I stood to leave, I left Sue Ann with some simple advice, "Sue Ann, please just follow your heart, no matter what others may say or think." The look on her face caused me to seriously doubt her taking my advice.

"Thanks, Molly."

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Later that day, while Sue Ann and I were in our room again, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Sue Ann asked.

"It's me, Blair. I need a favor from you."

"I'll get it," I said and opened the door. Blair stood there with some papers in her hand.

"Hey there, Molly," Blair smiled.

"What do you need Blair," I asked.

"I'm here to see Sue Ann," Blair answered and entered the room.

"What's the favor?" Sue Ann asked.

"You know I'm in "Romeo and Juliet," right?"

"Yeah, you're playing Juliet, and your new  _boyfriend_ , Jason, is playing Romeo," I said in a dreamy voice and batted my eyes at Blair.

Blair rolled her eyes, ignored me, and turned back to Sue Ann.

"The play is only a few weeks away; I need someone to rehearse the lines with me, reading Jason's, I mean Romeo's part. I was going to ask Nancy, but as usual, she's busy talking to Roger on the phone. I thought about asking Tumpy, but she is taking guitar lessons."

"I didn't know she plays the guitar, that's cool," I chimed. I play the ukelele.

Blair sighed and turned back to me, "Yeah, she does. You should find an opportunity to hear her sometime, she's excellent."

Without missing a beat, Blair turned back to Sue Ann, "I got so desperate, I asked Cindy, since she's masculine enough for the part, but she told me to drop dead, so now I'm asking you Sue Ann. Do you mind being my Romeo for a bit? Don't worry, this isn't the kissing scene, I don't think my  _boyfriend_  would approve."

' _Oh, I bet he'd_ _ **love**_ _to see that,'_  I thought and smirked. I wondered, since she has quite a few male friends, why didn't she ask one of them to play Romeo? Her asking Sue Ann didn't really make sense, since Blair is always going on, ad nauseam, about how all the guys want to date her. Maybe she didn't want to make Jason jealous.

Sue Ann sighed in relief and chuckled, "Thank goodness, being expelled for  _'unnatural acts'_  is the last thing I want." I grimaced at the self-loathing I heard in her voice.

"Of course, you really don't want  _that_  on your scholastic record," Blair responded, trying to sound haughty, but I saw the discomfort on her face. It was as if she had gone through this before, or something very similar to this. I wondered if she may have been burned before, because of a situation like it. It explains her over-the-top 'boy craziness' and why she makes sure to always be seen with a boy.

Blair's fake laughter brought me out of my thoughts, "Don't worry Sue Ann, I only want to kiss Romeo, not Ramona." I shook my head and internally begged to differ.

Blair handed Sue Ann a copy of the script.

"So which scene do you want to rehearse?" Sue Ann asked.

"The balcony scene." I smirked and thought it was an interesting choice, for Blair.

"Oh, that famous scene?" Sue Ann flipped through the pages, until she found the scene.

"Where do you want to start?"

Blair pointed to the part, "Right there."

Sue Ann looked at the lines and smiled, "Oh, I remember this scene; we read it back at my school in Kansas." She looked at it again and started reading the part…

_She speaks:  
O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art  
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head  
As is a winged messenger of heaven  
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes  
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him  
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds  
And sails upon the bosom of the air._

Then Blair read her part…

_O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?  
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;  
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,  
And I'll no longer be a Capulet._

Sue Ann read her line…

" _Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?"_

Then Blair again…

_'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;  
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.  
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,  
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part  
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!  
What's in a name? that which we call a rose  
By any other name would smell as sweet;  
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,  
Retain that dear perfection which he owes  
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,  
And for that name which is no part of thee  
Take all myself._

I watched them rehearse and spotted Cindy lurking outside in the hall. I noticed she didn't look pleased at all and wore a very deep frown. I thought Cindy really didn't need to be jealous.

Mrs. Garrett walked up to Cindy and asked her something. I couldn't hear what she said and I couldn't read her lips, because Mrs. Garrett stood with the side of her face towards me. Cindy turned her head and said 'okay,' I think. They both left the hallway, so I returned to watching the rehearsal.

"I think you got it down, Blair," Sue Ann smiled.

"Thanks. I've been practicing like crazy," Blair smiled, and then asked me, "So what do you think?"

"I think you did a good job," I smiled.

Judging by Blair's body language, she was definitely more comfortable rehearsing with Sue Ann, than with that Jason Hoffman dude, her  _boyfriend_. She stood close to Sue Ann during the impromptu rehearsal, but not too close, as if she was attracted to her. I can safely tell Cindy she has nothing to worry about from Blair. However, I can't say the same for Sue Ann.

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The night before the big poetry assignment was due, all of us, except for Blair, because she wasn't here, were watching a pilot for a show called, Superbuggies on the Prairie. It's a show where a group of 'state-of-art' buggies travel from New York to Omaha, Nebraska for people who want to experience the Wild West. It was supposed to combine the elements of that lame show "Supertrain," with "Little House on the Prairie." I wonder who the intended audience is supposed to be…the Amish? Fred Silverman must be on some hallucinogen, because the Amish don't own televisions. I bet those morons at NBC think a show about a middle-aged woman managing a dorm full of teenage girls and their growing pains at an all-girl private school will be a hit. Sure, like that will ever work! No wonder they are dead last in the ratings. They should be thankful there are only two other channels and not everyone has cable or satellite yet! We'll be saying 'bye-bye' to NBC when those two become popular, with their 20-plus channels!

We sat and stared at the television in disbelief, but no one changed the channel.

After the show was over, Cindy was the first to say something, "You know what Molly?"

"What Cindy?"

"I just wasted over thirty minutes of my life watching this buggy-wreck, and I want it back."

"So do I, Cindy. So do I," I responded and shook my head in disgust.

"This is even worse than that stupid "Supertrain" show!" Tootie groaned loudly.

"Yeah... the first episode was so bad, I kept hoping the next episode ended in a train wreck!" Natalie snarkily added.

The front door opened and Blair sashayed in. While it was no surprise seeing her return from who knows where, in the middle of the night, but without a guy  _was_  surprising. I was even more surprised to see she seemed genuinely happy, like she just returned from an amusement park.

Mrs. Garrett stood up from the couch and greeted Blair, "Did you have a nice evening Blair?"

"Yes Mrs. Garrett. I had a very nice evening," Blair smiled. I was surprised to see a 'real' smile.

"Well, it must be minus one hundred degrees in Hell right now," Sue Ann sarcastically quipped.

Blair looked at her strangely and asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Because the day we don't see you returning with some boy in tow, we can be sure Hell has frozen over." We all laughed, even Blair found it funny.

"Well, I hope Satan has an extra-thick parka down there. Actually, I just came from Tumpy's place. We were hanging out and listening to music."

"You mean the same Tumpy who invited you to a skinny dipping party?" Tootie excitedly asked. Sometimes, well… most of the time I question Tootie's common sense.

Blair briefly glared at Tootie and quickly forced a smile, "Yes, that's her."

Mrs. Garrett's smile quickly turned into a frown, "I don't like you hanging out with her. From what I've heard, she's trouble…with a capital 'T.'"

Blair did her best to reassure Mrs. Garrett, "Come on Mrs. Garrett, don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."

"I know you are dear, but I still don't like you hanging around with her," Mrs. Garrett shook her head.

The conversation stopped when Mr. Bradley walked in the back door. "Hello Mrs. Garrett. Girls," Mr. Bradley nodded towards us.

"Hi Mr. Bradley!" We all said in sickly sweet unison.

"Oh, hello Blair, I'm surprised to see you here this early."

"Actually Mr. Bradley, I just walked in about a minute ago," Blair informed him.

He chuckled and told her, "Sure Blair, you actually returned before curfew, for once. So, who's this young man? I would like to meet him, since it seems you finally found one that's responsible!"

Blair gave him an incredulous, but insulted look, "No, seriously, I went out and came back  _alone_."

Mr. Bradley still didn't look convinced, "You? Blair Warner, came back here, before curfew,  _and_  without a boy ? What's next? Peace in the Middle East? A cure for cancer? Radio stations stop playing Disco?" I wish, since all three of those are my wishes too!

"Mr. Bradley, I know it's hard to believe, but she  _did_  return on time and without a boy," Mrs. Garrett came to Blair's defense.

"Yes Mr. Bradley, I don't need a boy with me all the time." I was floored, because Blair finally told the truth about herself for once. At this rate, maybe I should be expecting peace in the Middle East soon.

"That's true, but I'm glad you're here anyway, because I came here to remind you girls…"

"Ahem," I sternly reminded him of our previous conversation.

"Sorry Molly, I mean you women…," I smiled at his correction, "… the poetry assignment is due tomorrow. I hope all of you have completed the assignment."

As he prattled on, I realized something. Out of the twenty dorms in the school, he constantly comes to ours. I wonder why? Yes, I know besides being our Headmaster, he's also our English teacher, but does he have to remind us this way? That dork comes here just about every single day. Could he possibly fancy one of us? I bet it's Blair, because he seems to single her out so much. Or maybe he's just trying to get in good with her, so he can get closer to her mother. Nah, I doubt that could be it. I wonder if he has a thing for Mrs. Garrett. Him into older women? Gross! I wish I never thought of that one!

Everyone pretty much reacted with some sort of fear, except Cindy, who was grinning from ear to ear. I noticed the one who was the most terrified…Blair. She was smiling, but it was a nervous smile.

"Yes Mr. Bradley," Blair answered in an uneasy tone.

"I hope you do well Ms. Warner, because it's half your grade," Mr. Bradley warned.

"Sure, well you know, I just have to put the polish on it."

"I don't care if you polish it, hot wax it, or even Turtle Wax it. I want that poem on my desk, tomorrow."

Blair kept silent and just smiled, hiding her fear. She usually smiles too much or talks too much to overcompensate for what she's really hiding. There's a chapter in the book that discusses people like her, who use their 'natural social skills' to talk themselves in and out of most situations, and believe they can do the same with lies. It's her way of covering up her true emotions.

"You're gonna love my poem Mr. Bradley," Tootie cheerfully conveyed to him.

"Really?" He skeptically asked.

"Listen to this," she proudly said, as she opened the folded paper in her hands.

" _How it feels  
_ _To make your deals  
_ _Eat your meals  
_ _Cool your heels  
_ _All on wheels."_

I couldn't help laughing at the sheer stupidity of her poem. Mr. Bradley's response was really quite interesting… and amusing. He waxed some of his own poetry on her.

" _Well let me tell you this Tootie  
_ _If you think that will fly with me  
_ _Then expect from me a minus D."_

Tootie gulped and quickly offered, "Okay, I'll work on it some more."

I don't know if she was trying to cause trouble, but Blair piped in, "Hey Cindy, what about that poem you've been working on for over a month?"

"Yeah, I heard it's pretty steamy, so I want to hear it!" Natalie chimed in, a rather devilish smile gracing her lips. I wondered who blabbed about Cindy's poem.

"So do I!" Tootie snickered. My question was answered. The little snoop must have been listening in when Cindy read part of it to me.

"Wow Cindy, you must  _really_  like Greg to spend  _so_  much time writing your poetry assignment," Sue Ann teased. Cindy looked at her with a sly smile. From what I heard, Sue Ann really wanted to believe Cindy was interested in Greg, but I could see she knew the truth. I should start calling Sue Ann, "Cleopatra," the Queen of 'De-Nile.'

Cindy was thrilled to read her poem. She took off like the 'Road Runner' and ran upstairs to get her poem. While she was gone, Blair commented how surprised she was that Cindy didn't wait until the last minute, like she usually does.

This was the final straw for Mr. Bradley and exclaimed, "Now  _that's_  a sign the end of world is coming!"

Mrs. Garrett laughed and defended Cindy, "Oh come on now Mr. Bradley, let's give Cindy more credit than that. True, she has a tendency to procrastinate, but when she's really passionate about something, she goes for it one hundred and ten percent!"

"And what's wrong with being passionate, Mr. Bradley?" I asked him.

"Oh nothing, unless it's misguided," He answered, as he gave me a cold stare. This didn't surprise me one bit, because he never agreed with my beliefs and politics. We butted heads quite often, since he strongly believes in competition and I don't. I believe in cooperation over competition.

"Misguided? Do you expect me to write a poem about how great Nixon was?" I challenged.

His face started to turn red with anger, but he stayed calm "No, but I don't expect you to write an ode to Jimmy Hoffa either."

I was bummed, because that's what my poem was about! Oh well, I guess it's back to the drawing board. I know, I'll do one about Patty Hearst instead!

Cindy returned, a bit winded, and sat across from Sue Ann. Everyone looked at Cindy and waited for her to begin reading.

""Secret Desire," by Cindy Webster."

" _There is a secret desire  
_ _The one my heart burns a fire  
_ _Of a love I dare not present  
_ _For it fills me with such torment._

_This love turned my world upside-down  
_ _But others might give it a nasty frown.  
_ _It is a love I cannot deny.  
_ _And one I seek to get the same reply."_

As soon as Sue Ann started biting her lower lip and looking down at her shoes, I knew, she knew who the poem was written for. Of course, Cindy didn't hide it too well either, by staring at Sue Ann the entire time. I also noticed Natalie, Blair, and Mrs. Garrett were starting to give Cindy and Sue Ann questioning looks.

" _I know you feel the same way I do  
_ _And you care a lot about me too.  
_ _So let's not allow others to stand in our way.  
_ ' _Cause with us together we'll be happy and gay."_

She recited that the last line with a big, teasing smile on her face. Sue Ann nearly fell out of her seat when she heard that! I saw Blair's, Natalie's, and especially Mrs. Garrett's eyes' almost pop out when she read that last line. Natalie's jaw dropped when she heard that. I was both shocked and impressed by Cindy's bold behavior.

" _Can't you see it's you I adore?  
_ _That no one else could love you more?  
_ _It would give me such great pride  
_ _To have your love and affection by my side._

_So please open your heart to me  
_ _And let our love finally be free  
_ _Together, let's follow our true destiny  
_ _To love each other for all eternity."_

She ended her poem and continued to stare into Sue Ann's eyes. Cindy's eyes never left Sue Ann's, except for when she had to look down at the poem, which wasn't very often. Sue Ann eyes darted around, trying to avoid Cindy's unflinching gaze.

I thought to myself,  _'Well Cindy, it's not much of a secret desire anymore.'_  I watched in awe, as realization spread through most of the people in the room. I heard the uneasiness in the applause. Sue Ann did not clap. She was too shocked to respond. Well, I guess her trip down  _that_  river finally reached its end, in a crown of thorns.

Mrs. Garrett spoke first, "Well, that was a really… good poem." I could hear the apprehension in her voice. "I can tell you really put your whole heart into it," she weakly smiled.

"Thanks," Cindy smiled and returned her attention back to the object of her affection, "I sure did."

"Yeah, that was a really creative poem Cindy," Natalie smiled, the same uneasiness in her shocked eyes.

"So, what do you think of the poem, Sue Ann?" Mrs. Garrett cautiously asked. This is worse than I thought; now I'm sure Mrs. Garrett knows.

Sue Ann was still a bit stunned, but she finally spoke, "Well…, that poem touched me in ways I can't even comprehend. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." She quickly made a beeline to the bathroom. Blair was still staring with an astonished look on her face. When she looked at Cindy, the Sapphic poet smugly smiled. She was making it known she was not ashamed of what she did. I thought Cindy was being reckless and shook my head.

As expected, Mr. Bradley was completely oblivious, giving her high praise for her poetry, "Sue Ann is right, that was a truly marvelous poem and it touched my soul, Cindy. It is a sheer work of art worthy of someone like Emily Dickinson. Your poem reminded me one of the poems she wrote to the object of  _her_  affection. It was  _supposed_  to be a secret, but everybody knew it was the journalist. Just like everyone knows your poem is for Greg Hockney." Mr. Bradley, I wish to inform you most scholars who know Dickinson's work, feel the journalist was not her object of affection in those poems.

I saw how Mr. Bradley's words made Cindy uneasy, "Uh, thanks Mr. Bradley, but Greg might not be the only object of my affection," She coyly told him.

"Oh come on now, it's must be Greg. Everyone talks about you and Greg and I hear you two have been going out a lot lately. He's a great guy," Mr. Bradley sang Greg's praises.

"Yeah, but it could be someone I'm even closer to," Cindy shyly said. I couldn't understand why Cindy was being so blatant.

"I wouldn't doubt her on that!" Natalie quipped.

"Neither would I!" Blair sarcastically stated. Cindy just mischievously smiled. She reminded me of the Cheshire Cat.

"Well, whoever he is, he's one lucky fellow!" Mr. Bradley said. There were quite a few throat clearings and fake coughs in the room when he said that. I couldn't believe how clueless our Headmaster was being. "I wish I could stay and hear more of your poems girls, but I have to head back. Good luck girls, I hope the rest of you do just as well," Mr. Bradley left out the front door.

After he left, Blair stood mulling over something. I walked up to her and said, "Earth calling Blair, please reply, over."

"Emily Dickinson… I'd better start working on…, I mean, improving my poem. After Cindy's poem, Mr. Bradley has high expectations from the rest of us." She quickly ran upstairs.

I was about to talk to Cindy, but Natalie approached me.

"Can I speak to you for a minute?"

I winced, knowing what she wanted to talk about, "Uh, okay." I had an uneasy feeling I wasn't going to like this conversation.

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	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank yurianimeotaku and M. Murgatroyd for making my stories readable!

“What did I just see and hear? Did Cindy really confess her love to Sue Ann?” Natalie asked.

 

I just knew _this_ was what Natalie wanted to talk about. Unfortunately, I did not have time to figure out what to tell her, so I remained silent. My silence did not slow down Natalie one bit.

 

“And all this time, I thought it was Greg she was crazy about, but in reality, it was Sue Ann. Now that’s just too much!”

 

I stood mute as Natalie rattled on, hoping she would come to her own conclusions without my input.

 

“So what you wrote…,” Natalie stopped and edited herself, “Cindy _really_ does like girls?”

 

“Have you been reading my journal AGAIN?” I demanded.

 

“Uh…no,” Natalie sheepishly answered and ran off. Normally, I would have chased after her, but I was actually relieved and went looking for Cindy.

 

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After I realized Molly was not chasing me, I walked to the fountain to think. Unlike my best friend Tootie, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, before I start repeating what I heard. I guess this is what separates gossip from news. At first, I did not believe the gossip about Cindy. I wanted to see the proof for myself. Plus, you cannot really trust everything Molly says, even if it is written in her journal, because she can be quite paranoid. She believes in conspiracy theories, like the government is putting harmful drugs in our foods, they are spraying biochemical warfare agents on us, they are watching us from satellites in space, and all that paranoid stuff. I bet she also thinks Elvis is not really dead. I thought she was just seeing Cindy and Sue Ann’s close friendship as gay, since she is a feminist and all that junk about how women do not need men. I bet Molly will be singing a different tune when she moves to her own place and needs some ‘muscles’ to move her furniture.

 

Speaking of ‘muscles,’ Steve has been coming over quite a bit lately. I know it is because of my charms, although he asks about Blair quite often. Nevertheless, it is always a pleasure to see the man I plan to marry…when I am old enough.

 

I digress, but thoughts of Steve tend to do that to me. I just cannot imagine Cindy and Sue Ann together. If they move in together, who will mow the lawn or paint the deck? Probably Cindy, since she is the tomboy. Well, at least they do not have to worry about the toilet seat left up!

 

Now I see Molly was not delusional at all. I do not know how I missed it all this time. There were signs everywhere! One, she did not want to go out with Greg. Two, she constantly found ways to get Sue Ann’s attention. Three, she got upset whenever we talked about Scott and Sue Ann. Four, she often follows Sue Ann around, like a lovesick puppy. It all makes sense now!

 

However, I can tell I am not the only one who knows this. Mrs. Garrett obviously knows, since she directly asked Sue Ann what she thought of Cindy’s poem. Then of course, there was Blair, with her mouth hanging open as wide as the Grand Canyon, after Cindy uttered the word ‘gay’. And good old Molly, who knew Cindy was gay from the start, yet looked just as stunned by her poem. I think _she_ should join Tootie in the Drama department.

 

Poor Sue Ann, she was in total shock. If she did not grab onto my shoulder, she would have fallen out of her chair! I suspect she had no clue about Cindy’s feelings for her, until now. I have to bring it up with her, but I just do not know how. I suspect she feels the same way about Cindy. I bet Cindy was the one she told me she was “secretly” in love with, the other day. Now it makes sense, because whenever she and Cindy are together, it seems like they are in their own world, and everyone else does not exist. She has attended all of Cindy’s games, been all over Peekskill with Cindy, and many times, went out of her way to help Cindy out. Tootie and I are best friends, but I do not feel my day is incomplete if I do not get to see her, which seems to be the case for Sue Ann.

 

 I know it would not be wise to talk to Sue Ann right now, but there is someone I can talk to, who I suspect knows all about what is going on…Molly. I headed back to the dorm to find her.

 

When I entered the dorm, she was sitting on the couch, reading a book.

 

“Can I speak to you for a bit, in my room?” I asked.

 

Molly looked startled for a moment, then shrugged, “Uh, okay.”

 

When we got inside my room, I quickly locked the door.

 

“Did you help her write that poem?” I asked.

 

“A bit,” Molly bit her bottom lip, “I only made one or two suggestions, but the poem is all hers. This was the first time I heard the entire poem. I only heard the first two stanzas from her awhile back. I figured Tootie told you about the poem.”

 

“Yeah, she did, but like you and me, she only heard parts of it, and she thought it was about Greg.”

 

Molly shook her head in disbelief, “Okay, that’s not surprising.”

 

“But why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”

 

“How could I? It wouldn’t be right to ‘out’ Cindy.”

 

“’Out’ Cindy? What do you mean?”

 

“To ‘out’ someone means to tell others that person is gay. If I told you, then you would have probably told Tootie, and I’d bet a year’s allowance Tootie would have told the entire school. Plus, I figured I really didn’t need to tell you, because you probably figured it out yourself, since I know you took my journal!” Molly angrily said. “I assume you haven’t told Tootie yet?”

 

“No, I haven’t, and don’t worry, I won’t.” Molly arched an eyebrow in question. “She wouldn’t understand it and I don’t feel like explaining it to her,” I answered her unasked question.

 

“Thank you. Please don’t, I don’t want anything bad happening to Cindy, especially if the guys find out.”

 

“I told you, I won’t…I promise. Do you think Mrs. Garrett and Blair know?”

 

“If their body language is any indication, I think so.”

 

“I agree. It became apparent when Mrs. Garrett asked Sue Ann _‘the question’_ and then Blair gave Cindy an over-the-top look of disbelief the entire time. Sue Ann definitely knows, because she ran straight to the bathroom.”

 

“Judging by their body language, Tootie, Nancy, and Mr. Bradley, are apparently still in the dark…especially Mr. Bradley! However, I can’t help but wonder about Tootie, because when we went to the restaurant, Tootie wondered why Sue Ann’s face was turning red when Cindy started blatantly flirting with her.”

 

This little bit of information quickly peaked my interest, “What? Cindy flirted with Sue Ann…in public?”

 

“Yep, she was doing her best to get Sue Ann’s _undivided_ attention…if you know what I mean?” Molly waggled her eyebrows.

 

“What?! Cindy was putting the moves on Sue Ann?! In the restaurant?! Right in front of their dates?!” I almost passed out from the shock. Maybe that little bit of advice I gave her _did_ help her out. Now this was too much! I just cannot picture our resident “tomboy” as a seductress. It is about as believable as Kristy McNichol seducing Scott Baio on _“_ The Love Boat _.”_

 

Molly asked about Sue Ann, “Has Sue Ann ever mentioned any interest in Cindy?”

 

“No, not directly, but a month ago, she admitted she was interested in someone else besides Scott. Now that I know it’s not Steve, I can relax. I’d hate to fight with Sue Ann.”

 

Molly chuckled, “So you _do_ think she’s interested in Cindy?”

 

“Of course I do! One, she doesn’t really want to go out with Scott. Two, she constantly finds ways to get Cindy’s attention. Three, she gets upset whenever we talked about Greg and Cindy. Four, she comes to your room quite often, just to talk to Cindy. Five, she doesn’t mind when Cindy gets affectionate with her.”

 

Once again, Molly arched an eyebrow in question.

 

“You know, all the hugging,” I sighed.

 

“Hmm…, that’s a clear indication she’s interested in her. Now, the problem is trying to make _her_ see it.”

 

While Molly mulled it over, an idea popped into my head, “Hey, why don’t we play Cupid to bring those two together? It seems Cindy is very interested, but Sue Ann seems more than a bit reluctant about it. Just because they’re both girls, doesn’t mean they’re not meant to be together. Love is love, right?”

 

Molly did not look convinced and voiced her concerns, “That’s the problem! Sue Ann is VERY reluctant about it. I don’t think she will give in right away. I’m afraid Sue Ann will react badly and start spending less time with Cindy and more time with Scott. Sue Ann’s very careful about her image and her self-confidence is pretty fragile. She has traditional values and likes order, that’s why she’s so set in her ways. Based on her past reactions to situations that go against her strong beliefs, she will do everything not to deal with it. She will either break down, or avoid it like the plague. Right now, she’s doing the latter.”

 

“That doesn’t surprise me, but it’s a recipe for disaster for the two of them!”

 

“It sure is. Plus, don’t forget the date.”

 

Molly swore, “Oh shucks! I forgot about the date. Greg is planning to see Cindy this Tuesday.”

 

“And Sue Ann is going out with Scott this Wednesday,” I added.

 

“Really?” Molly asked, rather surprised.

 

“Yeah, she told me yesterday.”

 

Unexpectedly, Molly asked me a rather strange question. “How did Sue Ann look when she told you about her date?”

 

I wondered why she would ask such a question. It made no sense, but then again, I do not understand how Molly thinks. “Huh? Why are you asking?”

 

“Just tell me, Natalie.”

 

“Well…,” I paused to gather my thoughts, “She seemed happy, but it didn’t seem real. It seemed she was pretending to be happy about the date.” Oh wow, now I think I know why she asked me such a strange question.

 

For a bit, Molly mulled aloud, “Hmmm… I see.” I gave her a puzzled look and she continued, “I think we need to put a stop to both dates, even though it may hurt my friendship with Greg, but it’s for the best, not just for Cindy and Sue Ann, but for Greg as well.”

 

“I totally agree. He will be heartbroken no matter what, but it’s best to do it now, rather than later.” I really do not want to do this to him. He seems like a good guy, contrary to what Blair thinks, but like Molly said, “it’s for the best.”

 

“He sure will be, but I don’t think Scott will be about Sue Ann.”

 

That threw me off a bit, “Why?”

 

“How often has Scott called her since they started dating, compared to Greg, much to Cindy’s annoyance? Scott also has a reputation as a playboy. He doesn’t want Sue Ann romantically, he wants her sexually.”

 

My jaw dropped when she told me that. “Oh…really?”

 

“Yep, that’s another reason why we need to break them up.”

 

“I wonder if I should tell Sue Ann to stop denying her feelings for Cindy?” I thought aloud.

 

Molly quickly warned me, “NO! Don’t do that! There’s one thing you need to know about Sue Ann, she can be self-destructive. Remember I told you, in certain situations, she can explode?”

 

“Huh? How it _that_ possible? She doesn’t have a bomb in her.”

 

Molly sighed, “No silly! What I mean is she will start to get depressed and wallow in her sadness. Remember when Tootie showed us our IQ scores?”

 

“Oh yeah, I sure do! Tootie had to write “I shall not be nosey” five hundred times on the blackboard,” I snickered. God, that was so funny! Only Tootie would try to use ‘dittos’ to finish quicker.

 

“Well, they could make her write it five million times and she wouldn’t change,” Molly laughed and suddenly turned serious, “Do you remember how Sue Ann acted when she found out she had the lowest IQ of all of us?”

 

“Yeah,” I agreed and remembered how close Sue Ann and Nancy were to leaving Eastland, thanks to those stupid scores. “I see your point. Telling her would only make things worse.”

 

“It would. The only way to deal with this situation is to let Sue Ann deal with it herself. Think of it as her ‘growing pains.’”

 

I thought about it and told Molly, “You’re right.”

 

There was something else from Molly’s journal I wanted to ask her about, “I remember reading in your journal you think Blair is also gay. How? Blair is totally ‘boy-crazy.’”

 

“There! I _knew_ you read it!” Molly huffed.

 

“Okay, okay, I admit I read your journal and I’m sorry. About Blair?”

 

“I think it’s just a front to hide what she truly desires. Next time, watch “Charlie’s Angels” or “Dukes of Hazzard” with me and you’ll see what I mean.”

 

“I never noticed it, but I will take note next time.”

 

“Trust me, you’ll need a large note pad for her.”

 

888888888888888888

 

After I returned to my room, Sue Ann entered ten minutes later. Her face was still pale, like the shock never wore off. She walked straight to her bed and did not say anything. She just stared into space, like last time. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but did not know how.

 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

 

“Yeah? Just don’t expect any change back,” Sue Ann snarkily answered.

 

“It’s that bad? Well, thank goodness you’re not a bank!” I joked, trying to lighten the mood, since she was in a somber mood.

 

“What do you want Natalie?” She coarsely asked. It was really bad.

 

“What did you think of Cindy’s poem?”

 

She did not answer immediately. After giving it a lot of thought, she answered, “It was a very good poem. She must really like someone to write a poem like that.” I really wanted to call her on it, but she looked so uncomfortable, I decided to agree with her instead.

 

“Yeah, that _’someone’_ must be very lucky.”

 

 She swallowed hard and I noticed sweat on her brow. She looked like she was going to be sick, so I knew it would not do any good to push her. I walked over to my desk and read over my poem. After hearing Cindy’s poem, I knew I had to make mine better, knowing that jerk Mr. Bradley would be expecting more from the rest of us.

 

8888888888888888888888

 

The next day, Cindy came into my room for something.

 

“Hey Natalie, can I borrow a pencil sharpener? I have to finish up my homework and the lead broke on my pencil.”

 

“What happened to yours?”

 

“ _Someone_ borrowed it and never gave it back. Natalie...”

 

“Oops, sorry.” I stood and closed the door. I figured now was a good time to have a serious talk with her. “First, you have to tell me how you feel about Sue Ann. I know you like her, so don’t bother lying to me.”

 

Cindy looked stunned, “Uh oh…”

 

“’Uh oh’ is right. You made it quite obvious who your poem was written for…and it sure wasn’t for Greg.”

 

She started to look down, “No it wasn’t…,” then suddenly looked me in the eye with a worried look, “…but please don’t tell anyone else, especially Mrs. Garrett.”

 

I wanted to tell her that after hearing her poem, Mrs. Garrett already knew, but decided against it. “You don’t have to worry about me. Just because I’m Tootie’s best friend, I _do_ know how to keep a secret.”

 

She got right up in my face and threatened, “You’d better.” I am well aware Cindy can knock my lights out, so I do not want to get on her bad side at all.

 

I took a step backwards and put up my hands in surrender, “So, how long have you had your eye on Sue Ann?” I inquired. This is some juicy stuff here! Tootie would kill for this information, but I am sworn to secrecy. She would make a fragile situation even worse.

 

Cindy visibly relaxed, “It was probably growing for quite a while. I didn’t really know what it was until the fair, when I saw her in that white blouse shirt and those jeans. I don’t know why, but it started my time clock.”

 

“Time clock? You have a clock inside of you?”

 

“No, stupid! Mrs. Garrett told me every girl has a ‘time clock’ inside of her and it goes off when the time’s right. I guess she did something to trigger mine.”

 

“Oh, I see. Like what Steve does to me?”

 

“Exactly. Ever since then, I can’t take my eyes off her.”

 

“I can tell. It seems like you two can’t be separated for more than a bathroom break. You two have gotten very close lately.”

 

“Unfortunately not as close as I want her to be,” she sulked, “I wish she would stop putting a wall between us.

 

“A wall named “Scott?” Trust me, she doesn’t want to admit it, but she likes you.”

 

“I know, but why won’t she admit it? Is it because I’m a girl?”

 

“Uh…yeah. She grew up in a very conservative environment. It won’t be easy, but I’ll do whatever I can to help you two.”

 

“Thanks.” For the first time since we started talking, Cindy smiled. It felt good to help a friend.

 

“No problem,” I smiled back and put her pencil sharpener in her hand. She smiled and headed out the door.

 

8888888888

 

The next day was a good day, well, everyday seems to be a good day for me, but what made the day even better was I got a chance to see Steve, the man I hope to someday marry.

 

He delivered Mrs. Garrett’s grocery order this afternoon, right after school. Broad shoulders, bulging biceps, blond hair, and his beautiful smile…he is such a hunk! Not a day goes by that I do not fantasize about us walking on a beach hand-in-hand, eating cupcakes together, watching soap operas together, or him riding up on a white horse and sweeping me off my feet.

 

“Hiya Natalie, heard any good ones lately?” He asked with his wonderful, charming smile.

 

“Hi Steve. Sorry, not lately. ” I answered, as red as one of the apples he was delivering.

 

“Where’s Blair?”

 

“She’s where she’s been for the last hour, upstairs primping herself in the mirror.”

 

“The last hour? Really?”

 

“Yeah, it’s one of her favorite activities.”

 

“I heard she spent a long time getting ready, but I didn’t think she spent THAT much time!”

 

“Well, that’s Blair for you.”

 

He smiled and handed me the bag in his hands, “I brought the apples Mrs. Garrett ordered.”

 

“That’s great! How fitting, apples from the ‘apple of my eye.’”

 

Steve laughed, “You’re too much Natalie.”

 

Blair finally made her grand entrance. Steve immediately took his eyes off me and stared at Blair.

 

Steve’s eyes never left Blair, “Hi Blair.”

 

“Hey there,” she answered and flipped her hair in an obviously flirtatious manner, “Come to deliver some more groceries?”

 

“Yes, I just need _someone_ to sign the receipt,” he smiled at Blair.

 

“I’ll sign for them,” I piped in.

 

Steve FINALLY remembered I was in the room, “Uh…sure,” and handed me his receipt book.

 

I signed it and handed it back to him.

 

He cleared his throat and said, “Well, I should get going, see you,” as he backed out the door.

 

“Bye handsome,” I giggled.

 

Steve chuckled, “You’re too much Natalie, later.”

 

After Steve left, I turned to Blair, “What was that?”

 

“That’s my _je ne sais quoi_ ,” she smugly informed me.

 

Her brazen arrogance usually does not shock too many of us, but this time I was taken aback. Even though I was miffed, I could not say anything and left the room.

 

8888888888

 

A little while later, Sue Ann found me in our room, still fuming about Blair’s blatant flirting with Steve. She wanted to talk to me about Scott.

 

“Scott said he wants to meet next Wednesday. I’m so excited!” I rolled my eyes and thought, _‘Sure you are.’_

 

I asked her, “Next Wednesday?”

 

“Yep!” she smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

 

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” I asked.

 

“Sure I do? Why wouldn’t I?”

 

“I don’t know, it just feels like you’re not really excited about it.”

 

“Of course I am! I **really** like Scott Dunbar,” she protested.

 

I was about to respond, but Blair chose that moment to waltz in the room.

 

“Sue Ann, Scott called earlier today, but you were tutoring, so he told me to tell you to call him back. Apparently, he wants to change the date to this Saturday.”

 

“This Saturday?” I exclaimed.

 

Sue Ann and Blair stared at me.

 

After the initial shock over my outburst wore off, Sue Ann told Blair, “That’s great! Thanks a lot Blair.”

 

Blair gave me a strange look and shrugged her shoulders, “You’re welcome. I think you should call him back now, since you have nothing else to do.”

 

“I sure will!” Sue Ann practically flew out of the room.

 

When I was sure she was gone, I closed the door and had a short talk with Blair.

 

“You planned this, didn’t you?”

 

“What are you talking about?” Blair exaggeratedly flipped her hair and feigned ignorance. I knew she was lying, because she always exaggerates her hair flips whenever she’s nervous. Molly told me that one.

 

“You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about.”

 

Blair looked at me like I was crazy and said, rather defensively, “No I don’t. How could it be my plan? Scott is the one who wants to see her earlier. I had nothing to do with it.”

 

“Somehow, I doubt that. I know you know about Cindy and Sue Ann, because I saw your reaction when Cindy read her poem. Now, why are you doing this? And stop playing dumb with me; we all know you’re not a natural blonde!”

 

Blair’s smile vanished in an instant. She gave me a rather cold stare and tersely replied, “You want to know why? Because Sue Ann isn’t _strange_ like Cindy. She’s normal. She doesn’t have to live a life full of getting harassed, teased, threatened, disowned, or… you get my point! Could she have that with Cindy? No! Contrary to what you think, I’m doing Sue Ann a _huge_ favor. Cindy is doomed to a life of hopelessness and sorrow, but not Sue Ann, and I’m not going to let you, Cindy, or anyone else ruin her life, got it?” With that, she stormed out of the room, probably to head downstairs.

 

In Blair’s wake, I sat and mulled over what she said. I wondered what she meant by “she’s doing Sue Ann a _huge_ favor?”

 

88888888888888

 

After shaking off my ‘Blair-induced’ confusion, I immediately went to Cindy and Molly’s room. Unfortunately, Tootie was there as well.

 

I looked Molly directly in the eyes and said, “Hey, Scott changed the day of the date. It’s going to be this Saturday and Sue Ann is downstairs calling him to confirm.”

 

“What?” Cindy exclaimed.

 

“Oh no,” Molly cried, “Let’s get down there, Cindy.”

 

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Cindy bolted out of the room.

 

By the time we all got downstairs, Sue Ann was speaking to Scott, with Blair right next to her. Of course, Blair was all smiles. When she caught my eye, she smiled like an IRS agent who just took all your money and you could not do anything about it.

 

“So you want to go out this Saturday? Where? A Broadway show? Wow, that sounds exciting!”

 

Cindy’s face was crestfallen as she listened to this. She kept mumbling something under her breath. Unfortunately, I cannot read lips. Finally, Sue Ann got off the phone.

 

“Is he taking you to a Broadway show?” Tootie asked excitedly.

 

“He sure is. We’re going to see the musical “Evita.””

 

“”Evita?” What’s that?” Cindy asked.

 

“”Evita” is a musical about the former first lady of Argentina, Eva Peron. It got rave reviews in London,” Blair haughtily answered.

 

“Eva Peron was a woman known for her charitable causes when she was living,” Sue Ann added. I was no better off than Cindy, because I did not know who, or what “Evita” was. I am average, unlike Ms. Genius Sue Ann and Ms. Walking Encyclopedia Molly. If they did not tell me, I would have thought “Evita” was a new type of “Velveeta” cheese!

 

“See, I knew fixing you two up was a ’brilliant’ idea, but then, most of my ideas are ‘brilliant.’” Blair boasted.

 

Judging by the look on Cindy’s face, she was furious with Blair’s matchmaking. Of course, Blair just had to rub more salt in the already gaping wound in Cindy’s heart, “Scott is someone who can only enhance you. He can turn you into a cultured and sophisticated Renaissance woman. He won’t fill your head with useless sports trivia, and he’ll help open all the right doors for you.” Cindy kept giving Blair menacing looks, but of course, Blair just blew them off and continued to ignore her.

 

“I’m sure he can. I can’t believe one of the hottest guys in Peekskill still wants to go out with me!” Sue Ann giddily said, and then asked me, “Hey Natalie, isn’t it cool Scott still wants to go out with me?” I could feel Blair staring at me with a ‘you’d better say yes’ look.

 

I pretended to be happy for Sue Ann, but mostly I was concerned for her and Cindy. I sure did not see a smile on either Molly’s or Cindy’s faces. However, Cindy’s hypocrisy niggled at me. She is going out with Greg next Tuesday.

 

I pasted a smile on my face and lied like Scott’s uncle Teddy, “It sure is.”

 

“See?” Sue Ann smugly told Molly and Cindy.

 

Just then, Nancy came downstairs. The look on her face told me she was probably wondering why everybody was near the phone, which she considers her personal line to her boyfriend Roger.

 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Nancy asked.

 

Blair told her the ’good news.’ “Oh, you just missed it. Sue Ann and Scott are going out again on Saturday.”

 

Nancy excitedly exclaimed, “That’s great! Where are you two going?”

 

“We’re going to see a play on Broadway,” Sue Ann answered.

 

I caught Blair’s eye roll, snickered, and thought, _‘If Scott can transform this country hick into a Manhattan socialite, he is definitely a ‘miracle worker.’_

 

“Wow, a Broadway play. I wish Roger would do something sophisticated like that,” Nancy dreamily said.

 

“He doesn’t?” Tootie asked her.

 

“The most sophisticated thing he ever did was belch out “Staying Alive,”” Nancy answered with disgust.

 

“Well, that sounds like Roger alright. A Neanderthal has more class,” Molly derided.

 

“He’s got his sweet side…sometimes,” Nancy weakly defended.

 

A few people in this room, besides me, are not showing their sweet sides right now. They did not say anything more and went back upstairs.

 

““Evita” is a wonderful play for a date. See, Scott is the perfect man for you. He’ll show you all the wonders of Manhattan. Soon, you’ll no longer be a barn yard milkmaid, but a Manhattan socialite.” Sue Ann gave her a quick glare. Blair backpedaled, “I’m just saying Scott is a good guy for you.”

 

“He sure is!” Sue Ann halfheartedly agreed.

 

“This is great! And Cindy will be on her date. I know she’s looking forward to it!” Nancy incorrectly assumed, as usual. Sometimes I wonder if her entire world consists of Roger.

 

“Oh yeah, she’s really looking forward to it,” I lied again. I thought, _‘At this rate, it’s a good thing I’m Jewish, or I’d be stuck in confession for months!’_

 

“She should be! No one else is looking in her direction, besides that goofy idiot,” Blair disparaged.

 

“That’s so mean Blair!” Tootie chided. “You should be happy she’s going out with Greg.”

 

“Oh, I am. Now I don’t have to deal with Greg and his ugly smile anymore. Somebody had to take my leftovers and Cindy is perfect for the task.”

 

I really wanted to say something, but I figured it would be best to stay silent, so I decided to go upstairs and see what Molly and Cindy were doing. When I got there, the door was locked, so I knocked.

 

“Who is it?” Molly’s voice blared from the other side of the door.

 

“It’s me, Natalie.”

 

She opened the door and I saw a gloomy Cindy sitting on the bed.

 

“Every time I think I have the upper hand, somehow Scott takes it away from me,” Cindy moped.

 

“Well, at least Scott isn’t taking her to Studio 54,” I joked. Cindy shot me a look that told me it was bad timing on my part.

 

“Natalie…,” Molly warned.

 

“Okay. Look Cindy, don’t worry about Sue Ann right now, worry about your date with Greg. It’s coming up soon and Greg really wants you…badly.”

 

“Yeah, very badly. It’s hard to have a conversation with him that doesn’t include you,” Molly informed her.

 

Cindy looked at both of us and despaired for a bit. She let out a big huff and fell backwards on her bed. “I know he does and that’s the problem. No matter how hard I try to push him away, he keeps coming back, more determined than before.”

 

“I know. He really wants you badly,” Molly shared.

 

“You’re a good friend of his, can’t you tell him to back off or something?” She whined and nearly begged. I do not blame her though; he seems to be quite persistent.

 

“I tried, but he won’t listen. The fact you’re playing hard to get is turning him on. He likes challenges.”

 

“So, do I have to be easy like Blair?” Cindy derided.

 

“No, Cindy; you’ve got a lot more self-respect than her. Just make sure he doesn’t go too far with you,” Molly advised her. I thought about it and wondered if it really was good advice.

 

“Yeah, that seemed to work so well for…,” Molly elbowed me in the stomach and I let out an, “OOMPH!”

 

“Look Cindy, I’m glad to see my buddy happy for once, especially after putting up with all that crap from Blair. I will try to find a way to tell him you are not interested.”

 

“Please, because I don’t know how long I can keep up this charade,” Cindy said, completely exasperated.

 

“Don’t worry Cindy, it will end soon,” Molly assured. I wish I could be so sure.

 

888888888888

 

On Saturday night, we were in the midst of watching a six-hour marathon of “Pink Lady and Jeff.” It was pure torture. My brain melted and oozed out my ear.

 

Tootie tried to get my attention by waving her hand in front of my face and calling my name, “Natalie? Natalie?”

 

“Who’s Natalie?” I asked, dazed and confused, “Never heard of her.”

 

Tootie lightly slapped me on my shoulder and chuckled, “Oh stop it Natalie!”

 

“I can’t believe we are watching six hours of the most mind numbing show on television. Just when I thought NBC couldn’t go any lower, they prove me wrong…again.”

 

“I know! Why do we sometimes watch bad TV shows?” Tootie asked.

 

“Because one, we don’t have anything else better to do, and two, some of these shows are **so** bad, they’re funny!” I responded.

 

“Yeah, but this one is just bad, and not in a good way. It’s just plain bad!” Molly complained. “You have two hostesses who can’t speak a lick of English and a lame, corny comedian.”

 

Cindy shrugged and added her two cents, “Well, it _is_ NBC after all.”

 

“Yeah, it’s stands for Nothing But Crap!” I laughed.

 

“How true Natalie. I hope this puts an end to the glut of variety shows flooding TV,” Molly sighed.

 

“It might, but then they’ll replace them with another type of junk...maybe something like a real version of “Gillian’s Island.” I joked.

 

“A real version of “Gillian’s Island?” That’s just too stupid to think about,” Molly laughed.

 

“Hey, that’s how television works,” I sighed.

 

“Sad, but true,” Cindy agreed.

 

I could tell Cindy’s thoughts were not on the show, but on _something_ else…perhaps Sue Ann’s date. She was like this the entire day. She did not say a word to Sue Ann, except ’hi.’ In fact, she did not even bother to say ’bye’ when Sue Ann left with Scott.

 

About a minute later, Sue Ann returned from her date with Scott.

 

When Scott walked into the dorm, he greeted everyone. Everyone one said ‘hi,’ except for a certain blonde pig-tailed girl. She greeted him with a glare.

 

“Hi Scott, how was the date?” Tootie excitedly asked. She was so pumped for news; she was practically bouncing on her wheels.

 

“It was wonderful, wasn’t it Sue Ann?” Scott brightly smiled. It felt like a bolt of electricity was running through him.

 

“It sure was. Evita was great! Where’s Blair?” Sue Ann asked.

 

“She’s in the kitchen, cleaning the countertops,” I informed her.

 

“Did someone call my name?” Blair emerged from the kitchen. “Of course, if it’s some hot stud like Steve, then…,” Blair finally noticed it was just Sue Ann and Scott, “Oh, it’s you two! How was the play?” She cheerfully asked.

 

“It was romantic and wonderful!” Sue Ann effulgently answered.

 

Scott was still wearing his cheesy grin, “She cried during some of the scenes. I _knew_ this was the perfect play for her.”

 

“That’s great to hear. I knew you two would have a wonderful time together,” Blair smiled, I felt rather smugly. Cindy had a menacing look on her face. If looks could kill, Blair would be one dead debutante.

 

Cindy muttered under her breath, “I’d like to knock that smug smile right off of her face.”

 

“Cindy…,” I softly warned.

 

“We sure did. Wow, I have to head back to the dorm. The General nearly had my head the last time I was late. I’ll see everyone later. Sue Ann, I’ll probably be busy for the rest of the month, but we’ll keep in touch by phone, okay?”

 

“Oh sure!”

 

“I had a really great time today,” Scott stepped closer to Sue Ann and took her hand. We all held our collective breath. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it! It looked like Sue Ann was going to faint. I immediately looked at Cindy, who looked like she was going to tear out Scott’s throat. I prepared myself, in case I had to block Cindy.

 

Scott turned and looked at everyone. I noticed his eyes seemed to be searching for one particular person. He looked Cindy right in the eye and smugly smiled before cheerfully saying in his Bostonian accent, “Take care everyone!” Then he left.

 

Tootie and Nancy excitedly bounced next to Sue Ann, “Ooooh! Sue Ann’s got a boyfriend…Sue Ann’s got a boyfriend!” Tootie teased.

 

Sue Ann shyly smiled, “Maybe.” __

 

“What do you mean _maybe_?” Nancy asked.

 

“Well, he only kissed my hand…,” Sue Ann mumbled.

 

Blair, Tootie, and Nancy were very excited. Me, Molly, and especially Cindy were still in shock and Cindy was still angry hot. I bet you could put a kettle on her head and boil water.

 

“He kissed your hand Sue Ann. That’s _so_ romantic.” Tootie dreamily sighed.

 

I watched Sue Ann’s excitement fade after she glanced at Cindy. “It’s no big deal, really,” Sue Ann replied evenly and shrugged her shoulders, in an attempt to downplay everything.

 

Of course, Nancy, being as clueless as ever, unwittingly stirred the kettle, “Are you kidding? This is Scott Dunbar the Third we’re talking about! He’s one of the hottest guys in Peekskill _and_ Kennedy royalty…a New England blue blood. You hit the jackpot. Plus, he _really_ likes you!”

 

“I guess…,” Sue Ann modestly said.

 

“Don’t be such a hick, Sue Ann. He told me he likes you a lot,” Blair said.

 

Blair, Nancy, and Tootie started extolling Scott Dunbar the Third’s _wonderful_ traits to Sue Ann, all at the same time and pushed Cindy to her limit.

 

“This makes me wanna puke,” Cindy growled and headed upstairs.

 

 Molly and I just looked at each other, silently asking which one of us was going to go after her.

 

I finally spoke up, “We need to get up there. I have a feeling she’ll turn into Muhammad Ali and use the walls to train for an upcoming match.”

 

“I agree, let’s get up there right now.”

 

We rushed up the stairs and opened Cindy’s door. We found her punching the pillows and grunting in anger. Thank God she was not making a lot of noise, or we would have to explain this to Mrs. Garrett.

 

“Whew, at least it wasn’t the walls,” Molly exhaled.

 

Punching the pillows was not good, but punching the walls would have been worse. Cindy was **so** angry, I was not sure how to get through to her, so I tried joking with the girl, “Cindy, why are you punching the pillows? They didn’t do anything to you.”

 

Cindy just glared at me, so I quickly shut my mouth.

 

“He kissed her hand! He kissed Sue Ann’s hand…AND in front of everyone!” She exclaimed.

 

“Come on Cindy, yes, he probably won this battle, but the war is still going on and you can still win it,” I tried my best to encourage her, because I could tell she really needed it.

 

“Yeah, and I doubt he will do _that_ again for a long time. Sue Ann is quite conservative and public displays of affection make her uncomfortable,” Molly added.

 

“From the looks of it, not conservative enough,” Cindy muttered.

 

Something told me to go talk to Sue Ann, so I did. “I’ll be back.”

 

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I went back to my room and found Sue Ann sitting on the bed, deep in thought.

 

“Hey Sue Ann, a penny for your thoughts.”

 

“The kiss...,” she muttered.

 

“That was really bold of you to let Scott kiss your hand like that…in front of everyone and all. I don’t blame you at all, he’s hot! Having a Kennedy smooch your hand is much better than some boy next door. It’s like David Cassidy, Rudolph Valentino, and Prince Charles all rolled into one.”

 

“Prince Charles? Yuck, he looks like Charlie Brown with hair,” Sue Ann shook her head in disgust.

 

“True, Prince Charles is not handsome, but heck, with all the money he has, I’d let him smooch my hand anytime.”

 

“I don’t agree. I’m not a slut like Blair,” Sue Ann lamented.

 

I thought that was a bit harsh, even _if_ Blair is somewhat _easy_. “It was just a kiss on the hand.”

 

“Natalie, my mother raised me right. Where I come from, it’s not proper to do things like that in public.”

 

“So the problem is not what he did, but the fact he did it in public?” I was beginning to believe Blair was right about Sue Ann being a “hick.”

 

She leaned close to me and whispered, “No, Cindy’s the problem.”

 

Now I was completely confused. I wanted to go back out, come back in, and start this whole thing over again. “What?”

 

“Did you see the look she gave Scott when he kissed my hand? I thought she was going to take one of her softball bats right to his head!” Sue Ann looked at me with genuine fear in her eyes.

 

So, Sue Ann _did_ see what I saw. “Sue Ann, you know she’s all bark and no bite, right?”

 

“I guess, but what if she tries to stand in the way of me and Scott? No, knowing her, she won’t _try_ , she WILL stand in our way. She wants to be more than just friends with me, and I know she’ll do anything to sabotage my relationship with Scott,” Sue Ann dejectedly stated.

 

I pretend to be shocked, “What? You must be joking!”

 

“Not at all. I know this is going to be hard to believe, but Cindy wrote her poem for me, not Greg. It’s me! As gross as this sound, she wants _me_. Cindy’s gay. I know that poem is just the start. Knowing her aggressive nature, she will go even further to make me like her. I know she’ll do everything to break us up, and I suspect Molly’s helping her,” Sue Ann worked herself into a tizzy.

 

Wow, Sue Ann is not as naïve as I thought. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe we should tell Mrs. Garrett about this.” I did not want Sue Ann’s confusion to get Cindy expelled, so I suggested the most outlandish option I could.

 

“No! Not at all! I don’t want her to get in trouble and have to leave Eastland. She doesn’t deserve that. To be honest with you, I don’t know what to do, yet,” Sue Ann sat down on her bed and got lost in her thoughts again.

 

I took this opportunity to leave, “Okay, well, I’ll leave you to your thoughts,” I said and closed the door behind me. I immediately went to Molly and Cindy’s room.

 

I entered the room and brightly said, “Hey gang!”

 

Cindy lifted her head off Molly’s shoulder. “What did you find out?”

 

“Sue Ann is not happy with Scott’s very public kiss on her hand,” I happily reported.

 

Cindy brightened up and smiled, “Really?”

 

“I swear, she told me herself,” I reassured my friend.

 

“Then why did she act like it was no big deal?” Molly demanded.

 

“Because…,” I paused and tried to figure out the best way to tell my friends about Sue Ann’s misgivings without hurting Cindy’s feelings, “…some of us got too excited and she got caught in the moment.”

 

“Well that’s some good news. See Cindy, you don’t have to worry about Sue Ann being Scott’s girlfriend,” Molly happily said.

 

I decided it would hurt more if I “sugar-coated” what I had to say, so I just blurted it out, “No, she has something else to worry about. Sue Ann told me she knows you wrote the poem for her and you want to be more than just her friend. She’s afraid…”

 

“Afraid of what?” Molly cut me off and demanded.

 

“If you would let me finish, I’ll tell you,” I huffed at Molly. She apologized and motioned for me to continue, “She’s afraid you’re going to try to break her and Scott up.” I wanted to curl up and die after seeing the look on Cindy’s face. It was an odd mixture of betrayal, hurt, and sadness.

 

“That’s true, I _do_ want to stop her from becoming Scott’s girlfriend, but I thought she knew I would never do anything to wreck her happiness…even if it’s with Scott,” Cindy lamented.

 

“Now that Sue Ann knows you want to be more than friends, since you made it quite obvious,” Molly took a step towards Cindy, “She’s trying to put some distance between you and her.”

 

“She’s also leery of you, so she’ll scrutinize anything you do or say. Sue Ann will do everything to prevent you from messing with her and Scott. Blair is also doing everything to make sure Sue Ann and Scott get together. You’ve got yourself a double whammy, Cindy,” I joked, trying to cushion the blow as best I could.

 

“Oh no…,” Cindy sighed, “I guess I should just give up now, before I lose Sue Ann’s friendship completely.”

 

“No!” Molly exclaimed, startling both of us.

 

“Oh, why not?” Cindy whined.

 

“Because I know Sue Ann doesn’t like Scott. She’s scared of her true feelings…her true feelings for you.”

 

“Really?” Cindy and I asked in unison.

 

“Yes. You two will just have to trust me,” Molly stated with authority.

 

“Okay,” Cindy and I weakly agreed.

 

All this investigating other people’s lives is really exciting to me, more than learning “Advanced Sassooning,” maybe investigative reporting is what I should be doing in my life…

 

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	14. Chapter 14

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It was Tuesday night; Cindy was on her date with Greg. Natalie, Tootie, Sue Ann, and I were telling scary stories in the living room. Blair was out, probably with one of her many suitors, and as usual, Nancy was out with Roger. We had the lights off and a flashlight was the only source of light. Well, it was mostly Natalie and me, since Tootie really could not come up with any scary stories and Sue Ann was in a very foul mood, even though she was trying to hide it. She was smiling as usual, but her body language was tense. I think Cindy's date was having an effect on her.

Natalie was telling a boogeyman story. It was not scary, more just plain silly, but it sure beat watching Schneider talking about his tool belt on "One Day at a Time!"

"And out came…," Natalie paused for dramatic effect, "…the boogeyman!" Natalie exclaimed.

Her loud surprise got us and we screamed, but we thought it was more funny than scary.

Natalie heard a noise at the front door and shut off the flashlight. We tried to stay quiet as we waited for something to happen and then heard the front door open. It was Greg with Cindy. I thought they were back rather early from the game.

Before anyone could say anything to the couple, Natalie whispered, "Be quiet everyone, I don't think they know we are here."

"It's still early. I wonder why all the lights are off?" Cindy asked.

"Maybe they're all out?" Greg offered.

"No way, not everyone," Cindy said.

"We'd still be out too, if the Rockets weren't leading by twenty-five in the middle of the third quarter," Greg chuckled. Now I know why they were back this early.

"Could you flip the light switch on the wall?" Cindy asked. I heard footsteps and then Cindy squeaked, "Greg?"

"I think this is much nicer," Greg seductively whispered.

"Greg! Get your hands off of my…" Cindy growled.

Suddenly, light flooded the room. I kept blinking, trying to make the spots in front of my eyes go away. Once I could see without spots, I saw a very angry Sue Ann standing beside the light switch. Greg jumped away from Cindy and hid his hands behind his back.

"Hey…," Greg sheepishly greeted everyone.

"Did you have a nice date?" Sue Ann asked.

"Yeah, but we left the game early, because the Rockets were leading by twenty-five in the middle of the third quarter," Cindy answered.

"We heard," Sue Ann ground out and joined the rest of us watching the couple's post-date interaction.

Cindy was about to put away her coat, when Greg stopped her, "I hope you had a good time, in spite of the game."

"Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Thanks for taking me to the game. I had a lot of fun, even though the game was a blowout," Cindy answered him as she hung up her coat.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. When can we go out again?"

This took Cindy by complete surprise. I think she did not expect him to ask her out again. Due to her lack of experience with boys, she really did not understand how serious he was about her. I have yet to tell Greg Cindy is gay and she likes Sue Ann. I am afraid to, because I do not want to betray either Cindy or Sue Ann. I also cannot let him get too involved with Cindy either. I have a feeling he wants to get serious with her, because I have never seen Greg act like this with Blair when they were dating. This whole mess put me in a bind, since Greg is one of my best friends. I feel like I am sort of betraying our friendship, but Cindy is more at risk here. She could end up way over her head with Greg and Sue Ann.

"Uh…, I don't know, but probably not before Christmas," she uneasily answered, not looking at him. I could see how nervous and awkward she felt. She looked like a fish out of water. I also saw the uneasiness on Sue Ann's face. She really disliked how this was going.

Greg unsuccessfully tried to get Cindy to look at him and finally gave up. "Yeah, I'll be busy studying for my midterms. How about New Year's Eve? I know a great place to celebrate. The crowd will be our age."

She looked at the floor, "I don't know, Greg...," and timidly answered, which was so unlike her.

"Oh, come on. It will be a blast. I've heard most of your friends are going. Unfortunately, one of them is Blair, because she rented the space for the event."

"Then I'm definitely not going!" Cindy angrily exclaimed and stomped her foot on the floor.

"That's why I need you to come with me, so I don't have to listen to Blair the entire night. You can bring Sue Ann if you want; since it seems you two are always together." Greg was practically begged now.

Cindy smiled brightly, "For sure I'm coming."

Natalie and my heads quickly whipped to look at Sue Ann. She scowled and growled at us, "No, it's not like that!"

"Great! Scott is coming too," Greg happily said. Cindy looked uneasy as soon as she heard Scott's name. "I know Roger and Nancy are also coming and a few other couples, I think. It will be a blast!" I thought Cindy was going to be sick when she heard the word 'couples.'

I was rather impressed at how fast Cindy recovered, "It sounds like it will. Where is it being held?"

"In Times Square," Greg proclaimed.

Cindy could not hide her shock when she heard that, "Times Square? Wow! How did Blair pull that one off?"

"You know her, she's got connections, thanks to her daddy," Greg laughed and imitated Blair's haughty tone whenever she spoke of her father, "Daddy can get me anything I want." Cindy smiled and chuckled at his frighteningly accurate impression of Blair. "Spoiled brat!" He scoffed. We did our best not to laugh too loud. Greg beamed at the sight of an amused Cindy. He looked deep into her eyes. When Cindy stopped chuckling, Greg finally caught her eye. To me, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. She was visibly shaking a bit. I knew since our tomboy had no clue about romances with guys, Greg staring in her eyes completely unnerved her. Then again, she was able to flirt with Sue Ann without any nervousness, so maybe he being a guy was why she was so awkward. "But enough about Blair. I only care about you. You are so beautiful," he stroked Cindy's cheek. I quickly looked over at Sue Ann and saw her trembling in anger.

"I…I…I am?" Cindy stuttered and swallowed hard.

"Yes, very. You're like a young Goldie Hawn," Greg smoothly said.

The interaction fascinated me. This was a completely different Greg in front of me, putting the moves on my friend.

Sue Ann growled, "Cindy's way better looking than Goldie Hawn! How could he compare her to that tramp!" Natalie started giggling. Sue Ann barked at her, "Shut up! It's not like that!"

Cindy was seriously panicking now. You could hear it in her voice, "W…w…well, it sure beats being compared to Goldilocks. Thanks for the compliment, b…but Greg…," Cindy took a step back, trying to put some distance between her and Greg, "I think I need to…"

Greg took a step towards Cindy, "Ssshh…," he put his finger against her lips. "Let's not waste this opportunity." I wondered if he completely forgot about us, until he said, "There's no one here but us." I knew he did. He bent his head down and leaned in for a kiss.

"Apparently!" Sue Ann shouted, "You forgot we were still here!"

Greg screeched to a halt, quickly straightened up, and took a couple of steps away from Cindy. He looked like a little boy who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I guess if Sue Ann did not speak up, he would have put his hand in Cindy's 'cookie jar.'

"Sue Ann!" Tootie shouted and pouted. She wanted to see them kiss.

Natalie and I watched in shock as Sue Ann stormed over to Greg and invaded his personal space. "WHAT were you trying to do?" She growled, like a lioness protecting her cubs.

Greg was trapped and he knew it, "Uh, uh, uh, nothing. It's not what you're thinking. I was just saying 'good night' to my date."

"Bull crap! You'd better find a better explanation," Sue Ann demanded.

"For someone who claims to have no feelings for Cindy, she is all up in Greg's face," Natalie softly said to me, so Tootie could not hear.

"You four were here all this time?" Cindy asked in surprise.

"Were you so lost in lover boy's eyes you forgot?" Sue Ann accused.

Cindy's eyes grew as large as saucers and she stared silently at Sue Ann.

"I think Sue Ann's trip down that river in Egypt has finally docked," Natalie chuckled and put her arm around my shoulders.

"What trip?" Tootie asked.

Natalie and I looked at each other. "I'll explain it to you later, okay?" Natalie answered.

"Okay, but you'd better not forget," Tootie turned her attention back to the drama in front of us.

"Well?" Sue Ann demanded, drawing Natalie's and my attention back to her.

"Uh, I think we'd better call it a night Cindy," Greg sputtered and quickly made his way to the door, "I'll call you," Greg said and slipped out the door.

Sue Ann opened the door and yelled, "Not until you learn some manners!"

Mrs. Garrett came in from the kitchen and asked, "What's going on here?"

"Nothing really, just Cindy and Greg coming back from the game," I told her.

"If it was nothing, then why did I hear loud shouting?"

"We were telling scary stories and scared ourselves," Natalie explained.

"Oh, you girls," Mrs. Garrett laughed, "So it wasn't anything serious?"

"Nope," Cindy replied.

"Good. You and Greg came back early. Did something happen?" Mrs. Garrett asked Cindy.

"Oh no, nothing bad…well, unless you count the Houston Rockets winning the game," Cindy joked and Mrs. Garrett laughed. I was stunned Mrs. Garrett actually bought Natalie's explanation for the shouting.

"But did you two at least enjoy your time together?" Mrs. Garrett asked Cindy.

"Absolutely, we had a great time," Cindy answered. Her body language contradicted her words.

"That's good. So when are you two going to see each other again?"

"Probably on New Year's Eve. Blair has a reserved space in Times Square," Cindy volunteered.

Mrs. Garrett was astonished, "Times Square?"

"I don't know all the details yet, so you'll have to ask Blair about it." I smiled as Cindy threw Blair under the bus.

"I will, thank you," Mrs. Garrett said and walked towards the kitchen door. As she left, she smiled and said, "Good night girls. Remember, tonight's a school night."

Reluctantly, we all headed upstairs to our rooms. Sue Ann sprinted up the stairs before anyone had a chance to talk to her. Cindy and I headed up the stairs behind Tootie and Natalie. I heard Tootie say to Natalie, "Don't forget to tell me about Sue Ann's trip to Egypt." Cindy shot me a questioning look and I choked down a laugh.

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Time for kissing under the mistletoe, Christmas bells, the Christmas colors of red, gold, and green, exchanging gifts, the Yule log…yes, the holiday season is here once again. The reason why we celebrate the twenty-fifth of December as the day Jesus was born, is because Pope Julius I wanted to replace the pagan holiday with a Christian one. Corporate America then turned the Christian holiday into a thinly veiled promotion of the three 'Cs': Capitalism, Commercialism, and Consumerism. Christianity has almost completely vanished from the celebration for most people, but there are a few, like Mr. Bradley, who disagree with me.

While we were engaging in our traditional pastime, watching TV in the living room, Mr. Bradley arrived with some so-called 'important news.'

"Hello girls…," Mr. Bradley paused when he noticed me glaring at him, "…I mean women…I would like to know who will be participating in the upcoming Eastland Christmas Festival? Eastland and Bates Academy will be putting on the play "The Little Drummer Boy." I am looking for someone to play Mary. Any volunteers?"

"What about Joseph?" I asked.

"Let me see," Mr. Bradley pulled out a sheet of paper from the folder in his hands and read it to us, "Bates Academy has chosen Scott Dunbar to play Joseph."

"What about Jason?" Blair exclaimed, "He's Bates Academy's best actor."

"Mr. Hoffman left Bates Academy," Mr. Bradley informed a surprised Blair.

'She really doesn't keep in touch with past dates,' I bitterly thought.

"I'll try out for Mary!" Sue Ann jubilated after hearing Scott would be playing Joseph.

"That's the spirit!" Mr. Bradley chimed. At this moment, Cindy walked in from the bathroom.

"I have an idea Mr. Bradley," I said to him. Mr. Bradley gave me the 'Oh no, it might be something I don't like' look.

"What is it this time, Molly? I'm not going to have you ruin Christmas like you tried to last year, when you replaced the baby Jesus doll with a black doll. Do you know how embarrassing that was? Most of the parents were outraged."

"I just wanted an accurate portrayal of baby Jesus," I stated. I remembered how memorable the scene turned out. Last year, since I was part of Stage Crew, I was easily able to replace the baby Jesus right before the curtain went up. That year, Michelle Talbert played Mary. Blair was her understudy. Back then, I could not believe how much Blair looked up to that self-absorbed twit, but looking back, now I understand why Blair spent so much time with Michelle. There were rumors about their late night rehearsals in Michelle's room. She had the room to herself after her roommate asked for a mid-term transfer. Michelle picked up the baby Jesus, cradled him in her arms, and then started cussing a blue streak! It was a hoot! I almost got suspended for it, but I got lucky and was given detention. I had to write, 'Baby Jesus was not black' seven hundred times. I was also banned from Stage Crew.

"My parents didn't have a problem with it," Tootie responded with a smile.

Mr. Bradley sighed and told her, "Besides your parents, Tootie."

"But Mr. Bradley, Jesus could not have been white. Well, definitely not like someone from Europe. People in the Middle East don't typically have white skin and blue eyes. In the Bible, it said he had hair like wool, who else has hair like wool, besides black people?"

"Molly, everyone knows Jesus was white. However, we live in a democratic country, which means you are entitled to your differing opinion," Mr. Bradley reluctantly conceded.

"And because I am, I think we should be allowed to express those differing opinions, such as where each of the Christmas customs originated from."

"No! I'm not going to let you turn into Scrooge and turn the Christmas Festival into a travesty like last year!"

"But people have the right to know!" I complained.

As usual, Mr. Bradley dismissed me and what I had to say, "Molly, the next thing we know, you'll be saying there's no God," Mr. Bradley laughed.

By then, I was very angry with Mr. Bradley and wanted to tell him off, but we all were surprised by a comment from a least likely source.

"She would be right, there is no God," Blair calmly stated.

Everyone was shocked into silence, especially Mr. Bradley. When he found his voice, he asked, "Blair, why would you say something like that?"

"Mr. Bradley, I have long held the belief there is no God. There are children, even in this country, dying from starvation. If this benevolent loving God exists, why doesn't he help? Where is he? Where was God when over nine hundred people died in Jonestown last year? Where was God when my parents divorced? No matter how hard I prayed, he didn't do anything to stop my parents' divorce. It's all a lie! He doesn't exist!" We all silently stared as she held Mr. Bradley's dumbfounded stare. For the first time, I saw conviction and fire in her eyes. No one said anything, until Sue Ann spoke.

"So when are the auditions?"

Mr. Bradley quickly looked at Sue Ann. His body language and facial expression screamed of the relief he felt, "Tomorrow at 5:00, after school in the auditorium."

While Mr. Bradley spoke to Sue Ann, I watched Blair go upstairs.

"Cool, I'll be there."

"I'm looking forward to it, because I think you will make a wonderful Mary. You're the perfect image of Mary."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Mr. Bradley silenced me with his pointed finger and warned, "Not a word, Molly."

He turned back to Sue Ann and smiled, "So I'll see you tomorrow at five, right?"

"You bet!" Sue Ann beamed.

"That's great. So, if I don't see you girls again until next year, have a Happy Holiday and a MERRY CHRISTMAS," He emphasized while looking directly at me, before leaving.

After Mr. Bradley left, Cindy blasted me with both barrels, "Jesus Molly, why do you have to be so damn difficult about Christmas? Just because you don't believe in it, doesn't give you the right to take the fun out of it for everyone else." I could tell she was really pissed at me, because she rarely used swear words.

Apparently, Nancy was pissed at me too. "Yeah! Maybe it's not real to you, but the rest of us should be allowed to enjoy it!" At that moment, I wished Natalie were here to back me up. She does not buy all the Christmas hype either, because she is Jewish.

Even though I saw their point, I needed to make my point as well. "I'm "difficult" about Christmas, because people need to know the real meaning of it, instead of buying into this 'birth of Jesus' crap. Every thinking person knows Winter Solstice is celebrated around the twenty-fifth. Christmas is really the celebration of the Winter Solstice and the traditional name of the celebration is Yule or better known as Yuletide. The Yule celebration is when the pagan Goddess gives birth to the God as the reborn Son. It begins before dawn on the day of the Winter Solstice, so they can witness the 'rebirth of the Son'. They use candles to celebrate his rebirth. Families cut down a tree and bring it to their homes to keep the wood spirits warm. They decorate it with food and treats, so the spirits have something to eat. There is usually a star on top of the tree, which symbolizes the five elements, like a pentagram. Does it sound familiar to you? It should, because it is common Christmas tradition still going on today."

"The birth of our baby Lord Jesus is not crap!" Sue Ann barked at me, like an angry German Sheppard. "Jesus was born on this Earth to die for our sins, especially for heathens like you. Besides, every scientist knows Winter Solstice is not always on the twenty-fifth, because the Earth rotates three hundred sixty-five and a quarter days each year, thus the reason for the leap year, and the reason the solstice is not consistent with the Gregorian calendar." I thought Sue Ann looked like one of those 'televangelists' on Sunday television. The only thing missing was the bible in her hands…the one she would be 'thumping' on as she preached.

"Gregorian calendar?" Nancy asked.

"It's the calendar system we use today, named after Pope Gregory XIII. The solstice falls between the twenty-first and twenty-second of this month in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it's between the twentieth and the twenty-first. So in that respect, Christmas is not based on the solstice; it's an original Christian holiday!"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Sue Ann held up her hand to stop me, "I know you're going to tell me Jesus could not have been born during the winter. I agree, it was most likely around spring, but that's not the point. The point is we are celebrating the life of our savior, regardless of whether you believe it or not, and we should be living our lives for Him. I might not be the true image of Mary, but that's not the point either. The point is people have the right to celebrate the birth of Jesus, whether you like it or not, just like people have the right to know about alternative Christmas traditions. So, why don't you practice what you preach for once and show some tolerance for Eastland's chosen Christmas Festival!" She directed a furious scowl at me. I just silently stared at Sue Ann.

Of all the students at Eastland, Sue Ann was the last one I expected to shut me down like that, but she did. I wisely chose to remain silent, because I did not want Sue Ann to roar at me like the MGM lion again.

"Uh…I'm going to check on Blair."

As I headed upstairs, I heard Cindy tell Sue Ann, "Don't let Molly get to you like that. You know she acts self-righteous, because she's not religious."

"I'm sorry, but what I heard was pure heresy," She fumed.

Midway up the stairs, I bumped into Natalie, who was heading down. I pulled her out of sight of Cindy and Sue Ann, "I need you to take over downstairs, because I can't be in the same room with Sue Ann right now, okay?"

"Why? What happened?"

"Let's just say we had a 'difference of opinion' and leave it at that, okay?"

Natalie shrugged, knowing I was not going to elaborate any further, "Okay."

When I got back downstairs, Cindy and Sue Ann were intimately chatting near the couch, so I sat at the table, making sure to face them, and picked up one of the many magazines discarded on it. I figured I should at least pretend to read, while I listened in on their conversation.

"Don't worry about it. I hope you get picked to be Mary. You'll be an awesome Mary," Cindy cheerfully said and placed her hands on Sue Ann's shoulders to show her support.

Sue Ann replied, "It sure would! I played Mary back at Farmington Junior High in Kansas."

"Really? Tell me about it."

The seductive tone in Cindy's voice made me blush, so I wondered if Sue Ann felt the same.

"Sure. Robert Berry played Joseph. He wasn't very good looking and had a lot of pimples on his face. We used to call him "Pizza Face," Sue Ann laughed.

It seemed Sue Ann either ignored the tone in Cindy's voice or she really was 'clueless' about sexual innuendo. I figured it was the latter.

"Ewww, gross!" Cindy squirmed.

"Yeah, it was rather gross. The play was nothing special. The baby Jesus doll was white, unlike last year's!" They both laughed. "The only mishap was when the star on the manger fell on the baby Jesus."

"What?" Cindy exclaimed.

"Yeah! The star fell right down. I guess it wasn't nailed on very well. Thank God it wasn't real!" Sue Ann laughed and Cindy joined in a second later. The laughter died down and it was silent for quite awhile, so I looked up from my magazine. They were looking deeply into each other's eyes. Oy vey!

"I may not be Joseph, or Scott, but my feelings for you are just as deep, if not more," Cindy softly expressed, as her fingers played with the tips of Sue Ann's long blond hair draped over the front of her collarbone.

Sue Ann stared at Cindy in stunned silence. She looked like a deer caught in headlights and was clearly terrified, yet she never looked away from Cindy. They continued to stare deeply into each other's eyes. Oh my, there they go again. They continued this for quite a while. Their feelings were palpable in the room.

When Mrs. Garrett entered the room, I thought they would jump away from each other, but they stayed put. She stared at them for a bit. I could tell she was studying them. Judging by the look on her face, I can confirm to Molly Mrs. Garrett now knows there is definitely serious chemistry between Cindy and Sue Ann.

Mrs. Garrett cleared her throat to break the couple's reverie and asked Sue Ann, "I hear you're going to audition for the role of Mary in the play?"

Those two jumped away from each other with such force, you would have thought they got struck by lightning. Sue Ann, now broken out of her 'lover's haze,' sputtered, "Oh hi Mrs. Garrett. What did you say?"

"I asked if you are going to audition for the role of Mary in the play," Mrs. Garrett said.

"Uh…yes, I sure am!" I was impressed by how quickly Sue Ann recovered.

"That's great news. I heard the boy you're dating, Scott, is playing Joseph."

The reaction on Cindy's face was a total Kodak moment. Darn, I wish I had my camera!

"What?" Cindy inadvertently exclaimed in anger at first, but quickly covered up her anger, "I mean, yeah…Mr. Bradley told us." I could tell Mrs. Garrett was not buying Cindy's 'happiness.'

"Well, good luck Sue Ann, I know you'll get it," Mrs. Garrett encouraged her and left the room.

Sue Ann looked at Cindy and pleaded with her, "I know you don't like Scott, but please, don't interfere in this."

I could see the hurt and sadness on Cindy's face. "I won't. If this is what you want, then I'll stand by you. All I really want is for my friend to be happy."

Sue Ann smiled and softly said, "Thanks," and went to the kitchen, leaving a crushed Cindy behind.

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As I reached for the doorknob of my room, Blair exited and nearly ran into me. She looked like she had been crying.

"Blair, what were you doing in my room?"

"Um… Uh… I left a book in there, so I went to get it," Blair lied, and not very well, but I gave her a break and did not call her on it.

"Oh, okay, but can I talk to you about what happened downstairs? It seems you and I are in the same boat." This is probably the only thing we have in common.

"Yes, but not out here."

"Sure, come inside," I motioned for her to enter my room.

"Okay," Blair quickly looked around before entering.

When I got in my room, I noticed Tootie's bed was nicely made, compared to Cindy's and my beds. I was still a bit miffed at Blair, since my poetry grade took a dive, thanks to her poem, which I suspect something fishy behind it. I know Blair's artistically talented, but not that talented. I also could not understand how her poem beat Cindy's poem, because Cindy's was much better. Nevertheless, I saw she was seriously upset. Her body language screamed out in emotional pain.

I sat on the edge of my bed and crossed my legs, like Eastland's resident psychologist, "So Blair, tell me what's bothering you."

Blair lowered her eyes and gave me an incredulous look. It felt like she was gauging my sincerity…or trustworthiness. She took a while to finally speak, "I know I like for everyone to think I have everything under control, but I really don't. There are times it feels like my world is crashing down around me. With so many things going on in my life, I feel like all of it is being piled on my shoulders."

I see, so her being in the closet is having an effect on her, but apparently there are other things as well.

"Does it bother you your parents are no longer together? I know it still bothers me," I admitted.

"It does. The truth is no gifts in this world can make up for a stable and happy family. I know I told you otherwise, but no money in the world can make up for family," she started to cry.

"I know Blair, I know," I sniffled. I was trying my best not to cry. I realized our religious belief was not the only thing we have in common. I grabbed a tissue from my tissue box and handed it to her. She gladly accepted it and dabbed her tears away.

"There are other things too, but I can't talk about them," Blair softly said. I already knew at least one of them, but wondered if there could be others and if one of them has something to do with Tootie's bed.

"You don't have to discuss them with me, if you're not comfortable. I understand," I reassured her.

"Thank you Molly," Blair weakly smiled.

"I have to ask you one thing. Do you know why Tootie's bed is made? She hates making her bed and Mrs. Garrett practically has to sit on her before she'll do it. It's just odd to see it all made…and so well."

I noted Blair's growing nervousness. She looked all around the room, as if she was trying to find a believable answer, besides the truth. It confirmed she made Tootie's bed. "Uh… I don't know. It was already made when I got here."

What an awful liar. I knew it wasn't made when Tootie and I left the room this morning. Tootie hasn't been back since, and I know Cindy did not make the bed. I know she made Tootie's bed, but I do not know why. Knowing Tootie, she probably has something on Blair, and I bet it is something really good, because anything less would not turn Blair into Tootie's maid.

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The next day, I was at the bookstore looking for books to help me with my Christmas traditions presentation. In the poetry section, I overheard two ladies talking.

"Oh, that is one of my favorite Dickinson poems."

"No, really?"

"Yes, I absolutely love 'Beauty Crowds Me 'Til I Die'."

I knew it! I knew Blair's poem was not hers! Then, I wondered, how Mr. Bradley, our English teacher, completely missed it. I heard he entered Blair's poem in the New York State poetry competition. This makes me wonder if Allegany Teacher's College is a real college.

Now I know about the poem too, I can use it to my advantage, but I just cannot bring myself to do something like that. I have scruples, something my friend Tootie needs. I need to figure out how to stop Tootie from taking advantage of Blair.

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As I walked in to the dorm, the phone rang. I quickly looked around, surprised Nancy was not glued to it, as usual.

"Hello?"

"Is this Molly Parker?"

"Yes it is. Who's this?"

"Hello Molly, it's Abe Goldberg, the family attorney."

"Hey Abe, how it's going?"

"Great, especially after I won a two-million dollar lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company." I really admire this guy. He may be a lawyer, but he goes after the real crooks. "I called to let you know I checked Michael Petrie's references. I confirmed he is a representative of The Wilmington Modeling Agency and the company checked out. Both are legitimate."

"They are?"

"Yes, they are. Apparently, he is very well known in the world of modeling, but he's not an Advertising Executive, as stated on his card.

"Oh…," I mumbled.

"No, he is actually the C.E.O.!"

"Wow! I'll let Cindy know!" I chirped.

"Let me know what?" Cindy asked.

"Oh Cindy, I'm glad you're here. Talk to my lawyer," I handed the phone to her.

"Huh?" Cindy held the phone, but did not put it up to her ear.

"Remember the guy who gave you his card at the Harvest Fair?"

"Oh yeah! What did you find out about him?" Cindy asked.

"Speak to my lawyer, he'll tell you everything," I told her.

"Hello? This is Cindy Webster."

Cindy's body language told me she must have received the good news, because she grew very excited. "Really?"

Whatever Abe was telling Cindy, it must have been really interesting, because she was listening very intently.

"Wow!" Cindy exclaimed.

"You bet! Thanks a lot!" Cindy hung up and beamed at me.

"Well, what did he say?"

"He had VERY good news for me. Michael Petrie, the man who gave me his business card is the President of The Wilmington Modeling Agency. Both he and his company are legitimate. The Wilmington Modeling Agency is a well known and respected modeling agency in Manhattan. Some of the country's top models are signed with them." Cindy excitedly told me.

I wondered how someone who thinks models are kits sold in the local hobby store, knows about fashion models, "Is that it?"

"He suggested I talk this over with my parents before making any decisions. He said he knew a few good contract lawyers in New York City, if I needed one."

It is always good to hear some good news. Funny, I never would have thought Cindy to be the model type, but she seems very excited about it, "What are you going to do?"

She gave me a funny look and asked, "Do you think I would have to wear dresses and make-up, if I become a model?"

Oh boy… I wanted to laugh, but managed to stifle it, "Yes Cindy, you do."

She pouted and groaned, "Oh man, more dresses…" I still wanted to laugh and tell her it is part of being a female, but it would probably offend Cindy.

"This calls for a celebration! Let's get some of Mrs. Garrett's blueberry cheesecake!" I cheered.

"Yeah! Can Sue Ann join us?"

"Of course! You can bring the entire school if you want!"

Cindy chuckled, "That's great!" and ran upstairs to get her "unrequited love."

I watched her take the stairs two at a time and smiled. I was so happy for her.

While we were celebrating in the kitchen, Blair walked in. She quickly noticed the celebratory mood.

"What's going on? There seems to be a celebration going on," Blair asked, looking a bit hurt we failed to tell her about the party.

Cindy stopped shoveling cheesecake in her mouth and told her, "The Wilmington Modeling Agency wants to see me."

Blair's face blanched from shock, and quickly flared with anger. She was clearly jealous of Cindy. We ALL know Blair can be quite jealous.

"Isn't that great?" Sue Ann cheerfully asked. I could tell by the look in her eyes, she was taking delight in Blair's jealousy.

Blair did not acknowledge Sue Ann. She just continued to stare silently in anger at Cindy.

I tried to gain Blair's attention, "Do you want to join us and have some of Mrs. Garrett's amazing blueberry cheesecake?"

I think hearing Mrs. Garrett's name brought Blair out of her anger, because she looked at me and stiffly replied, "No thank you," before storming out of the kitchen. I thought I heard her crying.

Sue Ann was puzzled, "Jeez, what's wrong with her?"

Cindy sarcastically answered, "I don't know… maybe it's that time of the month for her, but who cares? Let's eat!" We continued our celebration, without another word about her.

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After our celebration, we cleaned up the kitchen and I went up to my room. I saw Tootie, dressed in a neatly pressed uniform, admiring herself in the mirror. The pleats in her skirt were sharp enough to cut paper! She noticed me and smugly smiled.

"Isn't my uniform perfectly pressed? It was thanks to all the hard work I put into it," she bragged.

"I'd say more like someone else's work…"

She quickly looked at me, rather peeved, "What? I did this myself!"

"Stop lying Tootie. I know Blair ironed it for you. I also know you know Blair plagiarized her poem," I confronted her.

"Uh oh…"

"Uh oh is right! What the heck Tootie? You know how wrong it is to blackmail someone…especially a friend."

Tootie's shoulders slumped. I could see she felt ashamed. "I know it was wrong, but I couldn't resist. Having a white maid was just too much!"

After that comment, I was now beyond furious and blasted her, "Tootie! What you did was wrong! You should know better than that, especially after what your ancestors went through.

She stared at the floor in shame and moped, "Yeah, you're right…"

"You better stop taking advantage of Blair right now! You are going to go apologize to her right this instant, or else I'll tell Mrs. Garrett everything. In other words, 'you're gonna be in trouuuble!'"

"Okay, okay!"

"Come on," I demanded, grabbed her hand, and pulled her out the door.

When we got to Blair's room, she and Nancy were in there.

"Hey Blair, can we talk to you privately? You can come to our room, if you want," I said.

Nancy stood up and said, "Oh, don't worry about me. I was just leaving to call Roger anyways."

"Didn't you talk to him just an hour ago?" I asked.

"Yeah…and now it's time to talk to him again," she huffed and left. I swear she has to be Ma Bell's best customer.

"Now that Nancy's gone, what did you want to tell me?"

"Actually, Tootie wanted to tell you something," I pointed to the blackmailer.

Tootie hesitantly spoke, "I…I…I'm sorry for blackmailing you about the poem."

I saw fear in her eyes at the realization I knew about the plagiarism.

I looked at Blair and reassured her, "Don't worry about me, I won't tell anybody. Continue Tootie."

"I'm sorry for taking advantage of you. From now on, you don't have to make my bed, clean my room, and iron my uniform."

Blair stood and walked up to Tootie, "I deserved some of it, for cheating on the poetry assignment. However, I accept your apology."

They smiled at each other and Blair hugged Tootie.

After Blair released Tootie, I said, "Blair, as promised, I won't tell anybody, but Mr. Bradley and Mrs. Garrett really need to know the truth…from you," and pointed at her.

Her mouth dropped open. She began to visibly tremble and I could see the fear in her eyes. I wanted to sympathize with her, but I knew her actions could have some serious legal consequences.

"Yes, they do," Blair nervously responded.

As we headed out the door, our body language spoke volumes about all the anxiety the three of us felt. We did not know how severe Blair's punishment would be, and if Tootie was going to share any of it. Secretly, I hoped she did, because I hoped it would teach her a lesson about blackmailing others. Unfortunately, I knew Blair would not snitch on Tootie, so I contemplated letting it slip. Even though Blair tends to only look out for number one, I hope they are not too hard on her.

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	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

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Well, Mr. Bradley really brought the hammer down on Blair. She ended up being grounded for a month, getting suspended from any afterschool activities, and receiving a failing grade in English literature. WOW! I did not know he could be so hard on students who broke the rules! At the beginning of the year, he was really lenient…he even extended our curfew for the Harvest Festival dance from ten to eleven fifty.

Tootie did not escape punishment either. After Blair told him what she did to her, Mr. Bradley punished Tootie for a month as well. Mrs. Garrett added a month of making Blair's bed and ironing her uniform to Tootie's punishment. Talk about sweet justice, considering she just finished her last punishment.

Meanwhile, the stupid Christmas Festival play is only a few days away. Sue Ann's audition for Mary went so well, Mr. Bradley cast her on the spot. Cindy has been helping Sue Ann rehearse. They are rehearsing in Sue Ann's room right now, so I decided to pull a 'Tootie' and snoop on them.

I quietly snuck upstairs and was surprised to see Sue Ann's door open. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I crouched down low, leaned against the wall, and peeked into Sue Ann's room. With scripts in hand, they were running through the 'birth' scene lines.

"This is our baby, isn't he beautiful, Joseph?" Sue Ann read.

"He sure is. I can't believe we are holding the savior of the world," Cindy replied, speaking in a deeper voice, in an effort to sound like a man. She was failing miserably and I thought it was funny. As hard as I tried, I could not suppress a giggle.

"Okay, who's out there?" Sue Ann demanded.

I sat and debated whether I should run or come clean.

"I know someone is out there," Sue Ann said.

After about a minute, I stood in the open doorway, "It's just me."

"Why are you sneaking around like Tootie?" Cindy asked.

"I didn't want to disturb your rehearsal, but I wanted to watch," I answered.

Sue Ann sighed, "Come in. You can watch, but you have to be quiet, okay?" I nodded excitedly and sat on one of the beds. I watched as they continued to rehearse. After Cindy delivered her line, we heard a subdued clap. We all turned to face the sound and saw Blair leaning against the open doorframe. I wondered if Blair was there the entire time.

"Brava! Is this for the Christmas Festival play?"

"Why yes it is Blair," Sue Ann informed her.

"Let me guess, Cindy's reading Joseph's lines."

"Duh Blair, since I'm playing Mary," Sue Ann answered sarcastically.

"That doesn't surprise me one bit. Cindy, pretending to be a man," Blair said snarkily.

"Blair, you'd better watch your mouth. You wouldn't want Mrs. Garrett to start making assumptions again…would you?" Sue Ann taunted.

Blair huffed and left in a dramatic fashion. Cindy and I beamed at Sue Ann's sharp wit.

"I should've just punched her out," Cindy growled.

"Cindy, don't!" Sue Ann warned.

"Yeah, better stop it…you don't want everyone calling you a Neanderthal!" I laughed.

"Wow Sue Ann, you really got Blair good," Cindy smiled.

"She insulted you…again," Sue Ann replied.

"Well," Cindy took Sue Ann's hand, "Thank you for defending me."

Cindy looked deep into Sue Ann's eyes. I sighed and tried to figure out how to get away without them noticing.

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Much to Mr. Bradley's relief, the play went on without any problems from me. I tried to talk Mr. Bradley into letting me have my own assembly about Christmas traditions, but he told me I was too late to submit a request. I do not remember having to submit a request before. Oh well, I will have to start planning for next year now.

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With the end of the seventies just around the corner, Peekskill is going crazy preparing to celebrate the approaching end of a wonderful decade full of decadence, Disco, and drugs! What a crappy decade for my formative years. I would have preferred to spend those years in the groovy sixties, full of peace, love and…drugs. Oh well, I guess society will always have 'drugs' in one form or another…it is as 'fluid' as society's moral code. With the start of a new decade, I am anticipating the change in the current music craze. The forties gave us Jazz. The fifties gave us Rock and Roll. The sixties gave us The British Invasion. The seventies gave us…ugh…Disco…which gave birth to the leisure suit.

Earlier today, Cindy and I went downtown to do some Christmas shopping because the stores were having their "End of the Decade" sales. I wanted to get something for the women in our dorm - including Blair, even though I want to ring her neck at times. She did help me when my parents decided to get divorced, after all. I also wanted to get something nice for Mrs. Garrett. Of course, the real reason I went shopping was to find a gift for my sweetheart, Ralph. I really wanted to get him something to show how much I care about him. I know he will get me something nice.

"Maybe you should get him a "Pet Rock?" Cindy joked.

"Oh come on! He'll probably start wondering about my sanity if I give him something like that." I looked at Cindy in disgust.

"Pet Rocks," yet another reason to see the seventies end! A plain rock in a box with air holes…it makes me wonder what 'drugs' Gary Dahl was on when he came up with that idea. Of course, he proved the adage, "With the right marketing, you can sell ANYTHING." The man became a millionaire!

"Perhaps, but what could you get him?"

I thought about it, then I realized if I was going to 'practice what I preach,' as Sue Ann told me a few days earlier, I should make Ralph's gift. In fact, I should do that for the rest of the gang as well. Now, the problem is what to make everyone.

"You know what? I'll just make him a gift. It will be more personal that way," I proudly answered.

"That will be cool!"

"It sure will be," I smiled.

When we got to Woolworths, a big billboard with a picture of a dark-haired bearded man greeted us at the entrance. I thought it was one of the Bee Gees. To the right of his picture, in big bold letters, it read, 'Country star Eddie Rabbitt here today! Get an autograph from one of today's hottest and sexiest singers!'

"Eddie Rabbitt?" I questioned. I did not listen to a lot of Country music, because it all sounded the same to me and the lyrics were corny.

Cindy thought and exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Sue Ann talks about him quite often. He was on The Midnight Special the other night." Mrs. Garrett is so nice. She lets us watch The Midnight Special when it comes on at midnight. She extends our bedtime to 2:00 am. That is one show NBC did right. Cindy had one of Blair's "brilliant ideas" and suggested, "I think we should buy an album and have him signed it for her."

"Great idea, Cindy! Sue Ann will love it."

"I think so too," Cindy smiled.

"By the way, doesn't he look like one of the Bee Gees?"

We both laughed and she agreed, "He sure does!"

We easily found the Country Western music section and Cindy pulled out his latest album. We did not see him around the music section, so we asked one of the employees where he was located.

"Where can we get this signed?" Cindy asked.

"Mr. Rabbitt is signing autographs upstairs."

When we got upstairs, we saw a long line to the right of us. We knew it had to be for Eddie Rabbitt. It went to the end of the store, which I guessed was approximately forty feet.

"Well, let's stand in line and get that signed," I sighed in resignation. "I sure hope it's worth it."

Cindy smiled brightly and said, "Of course it is! Anything is worth it for Sue Ann."

I fought a grimace and thought, 'Oh goodness, she's more lovesick than I thought. I completely underestimated her crush on Sue Ann.’

It took a good forty-five minutes or so before we got to him. He was dressed in a solid black shirt, opened to the middle of his chest, with a gold medallion hanging around his neck.

"Hello there, young ladies. How 'ya doing?" His accent was rather interesting. He sounded like someone from New Jersey trying to sound like a Southerner.

"You're a country singer?" I challenged. "You sure don't sound like one. You sound like someone from New Jersey."

The guy laughed and told us, "Well, I'm from East Orange, but yeah, I'm a country singer. Ain't it true folks?" He said to the remaining fans waiting in line. They all confirmed his position with 'You bet!' and 'That's right, Sexy!' A country singer from East Orange… Now I've heard everything!

"A country singer from New Jersey… Hehe," Cindy chuckled.

"So, are you ladies here to ask me questions or are you here to get an autograph?" Yep, he sure is a native.

"We're here to get an autograph, Mr. Rabbitt,” Cindy told him as she handed him the album.

"Well it's your lucky day to meet the Rabbitt, gorgeous! What's your name, ma'am?"

"It's not for me, it's for a very special friend of mine, Sue Ann Weaver. She's a huge fan of yours."

"Oh really? You stand all this time just to get an autograph for your friend? She must be a very special friend."

"More special than you can ever imagine," Cindy charmed with a grin.

"Cindy!" I spat.

Eddie just laughed; thank goodness he didn't pick it up. "Well, let me sign this for her. And just for being so patient, I'll give you a signed autograph of my photo as well."

While he was signing, I whispered to Cindy. "Cindy, what the heck were you doing? Telling him she's more special than he thinks."

"Oh come on now, he wouldn't know. He thinks she's just a good friend of mine. Stop being so uptight for once."

"You really enjoy 'outing' yourself like this, don't you?"

"I sure do. People won't pick it up anyways, unless they're gay themselves."

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if someone does pick it up? Like Mrs. Garrett."

Cindy turned around and looked at me. Her eyes clearly showed how stunned she was that Mrs. Garrett knew. I was going to continue, but then Mr. Rabbitt interrupted us with a question.

"So where do you girls go to school?"

"Eastland Academy, Cindy told him.

"Eastland? I know a few girls that went there as well. That's quite a prestigious school."

"And an expensive one…" I despaired.

He just chuckled. Then he finished the signing and handed the album back to Cindy. He wrote 'To Sue Ann Weaver, hope you like this new album. Eddie Rabbitt." Then at the bottom it stated, "P.S. You're quite a lucky gal to have a friend like Cindy." After that, he signed the photo and handed that to Cindy as well. It just said 'Eddie Rabbitt.'

Cindy got extremely giddy. "Oh thank you so much Mr. Rabbitt. I know Sue Ann will love this when she gets it for Christmas!"

"It's a Christmas gift?"

"Yeah. I'm planning to give it to her for Christmas."

"Hand the photo back to me."

Cindy did as she was told and he wrote signed 'Merry Christmas' above the name. When Cindy got it back, she was on all smiles.

"Oh thanks again Mr. Rabbitt!"

"No problem. Happy holidays to you too."

As soon as we left the area, Cindy elated, "I know Sue Ann will love this present!"

"I can't see why not. Now, let's get back home."

When we got back home, we hid the gift and came back downstairs. We sat and watched the movie Scrooge. Everybody looked at me when Scrooge said 'Bah Humbug!' Hey, Scrooge was as real as Jesus Christ!

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It's a good thing that I found out about my dad not picking me up right now, because Christmas break is coming soon. Sue Ann, Nancy, Cindy, and I are staying here for the break. For the three young women, it's due to the rise in gas prices, which affected the airline prices. Thus, their parents can't afford to fly them back home. My dad said the same thing, but I knew it was a lie, and I told him that on the phone.

"Sorry, Sugar, but I can't bring you home this Christmas. I can't afford the gas."

"Yes you can; you're a doctor for crying out loud! It's because of that woman, isn't it?"

"That woman is your stepmother, and you should show her better respect than that! You're right, I can't bring you here; you might disrupt everything like you did at the Thanksgiving dinner. Do you know how hurt she was?"

I don't give a hoot how hurt she was, it's me who’s really hurt. "Do you know how hurt I am? DO YOU?!" I screamed into the phone as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Yes I know, but things weren't great between your mom and me. I do have the right to be happy."

"What?"

"Yes, Pumpkin. I know it's going to be hard at first, but you should give her a chance. If not, then there's not much more I can do."

"So, that's how it’s going to be? Well then good-bye and good riddance!" I slammed it down and started to cry. Blair came down the stairs and saw me sobbing like a fool.

"It's about your parents, isn't it?" she asked with sincerity, something you don't see from her too often, if ever.

Still sobbing, I answered, "Yes it is. Mom and Dad are now over. Now he doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

Blair patted me on the back and told me, "Come on, let me make you some hot cocoa." Usually, I would be very cautious of Blair making any type of food, but right now, I need all the hot cocoa I can get.

While we were in the kitchen, Sue Ann came in.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Molly's father won't be picking her up for the Christmas break because of what she did during Thanksgiving,” Blair informed her. I told Blair what happened while we were in the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Does it have to do with the divorce? Cindy told me about it." I just nodded. I was not in the mood to talk. "It's too bad that many couples aren't like my parents. They've been together for twenty years now."

"Well whoopee-doo, Sue Ann! Congratulations, you got better parents than we do,” Blair told her sarcastically.

"I'm glad I do, because I don't have to worry about them. It's 11:00 Blair, do you know where your mother is?"

Just before a fight broke out between the two, Mrs. Garrett came into the kitchen.

"STOP IT!" she screamed with that screeching voice of hers. "What is this all about?"

Before either of the two could speak, I spoke.

"My dad called and told me he won't pick me up because of what happened during Thanksgiving dinner. I and his woman got into an argument,” I told her while still sniveling.

It was hard for me to read Mrs. Garrett's facial expression, saw through all those tears, so I couldn't read her body language. "I see. Okay, you two, out. I'll deal with the both of you later."

I heard the door swing twice. Mrs. Garrett gave me some tissue.

"Thanks…" I sniffled and blew my nose. Yeah, it wasn't one of my prettiest times of my life.

"Molly, I understand that you are upset that your parents aren't together, but your father is happy with someone else."

"But why couldn't he still be happy with my mother?"

"Because that's how life is. You got to adjust to the new change in your life. Maybe they're not together, but that doesn't mean that they love you any less."

"But it's not the same."

"Life never stays the same. Sometimes it's bad and sometimes it's good, but that's the facts of life. You need to give your stepmother a chance. She's in a difficult position and you're not making it easier on her and your dad."

"Well, maybe if my dad stayed with my mom then this wouldn't be happening."

"Maybe it would be worse. Do you want your parents to always be fighting? Do you want that drama in your house?"

Mrs. Garrett made a good point.

"No… I don’t."

"Then you should compromise with your dad and stepmother. Molly, you're a very wise girl – most of the time. You shouldn't let this tear you and your father apart."

"I guess so…" I said then walked into the kitchen. I know she's trying to help me and all, but I don't want anybody's help, unless it's a way to bring my parents back together.

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The next day, Blair, Tootie, and Natalie left for the holiday break. Blair went back to Manhattan, Natalie went back to Queens, and Tootie went back to DC.

The rest of us were stuck here in Peekskill. At least Mrs. Garrett was with us. She didn't go visit her sister and the rest of her family in Wisconsin this year. Her sister's name is Beverly Ann, and from what I've heard, she's a very interesting one.

During the Christmas break, we made the best of it by watching TV, playing board games, and reading books. I spent a good deal of my time making my gifts for everybody. I made one gift especially for Blair. She'll love it…

It didn't snow, so there were no snow fights and such. In fact, it was mostly a thick fog, so we couldn't go outside at all. Cindy and Sue Ann were close, as usual, but I think they really bonded over this break. Rarely did they separate, so I ended up spending a good deal of my time with Nancy, this is when she wasn't talking to Roger on the stupid phone! It was Christmas Eve's night, and Nancy and I were just chatting.

"Hey Molly, do feminists hate man?"

"NO! That's a misconception and a stereotype planted by the media and the Republicans to discourage us women for obtaining our rights and becoming independent."

"Oh, that's what Roger told me."

"Not to offend you, but Roger's a male chauvinist pig."

"No he's not. He's not really into shoving."

Goodness, she's so stupid, and she wants to be a psychologist? I wouldn’t hire her!

"Nancy, to call someone a male chauvinist pig means that he's a man who believes that men are superior to women."

"Oh, so that's what it means."

"Yes Nancy…"

Before Nancy turned my brain into mush, we heard a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?"

It was Mrs. Garrett. Her voice was very indistinguishable.

"Sure you can," Nancy replied.

She opened the door and came in with her usual smile.

"I just wanted to see if you two are up for a game of charades."

"Sure!" I exclaimed.

When we reached the living room, Cindy and Sue Ann were already there.

"Well, now that everybody is here, let's get started. Four people, this is perfect. Okay, break up into groups of two."

I quickly paired myself with Nancy. Not that I really wanted too, but I knew that if I partnered up with Sue Ann, I was going to get it from Cindy. "I guess I'll team up with Nancy."

That left a rather scared Sue Ann, as she looked at a cherry-red blushing and gleaming Cindy. She looked like she just won the New York lottery. Sue Ann got even more uncomfortable as Cindy seductively winked at her.

"Now that we have two teams, I want Cindy and Sue Ann to go to the kitchen while Molly and Nancy go to the study room. You have ten minutes to come up with ten phrases."

Then she handed each team ten strips of paper and a pencil. We went to the study room and started making some phrases. Well, I made most of the phrases.

"I don't know about that one, Molly,” Nancy responded with concern.

"Trust me, Nancy, it will be fine."

"Hey, can I make a phrase?"

"I don't know. 'Lollipop' was not a good phrase.”

"How about 'telephone?'

Oh my goodness… "Telephone? Is there anything else in your life besides Roger?"

She had to think about it, so I told her, "Never mind, don't answer."

We finished before the ten-minute time limit and returned back to the living room. Cindy and Sue Ann came from the kitchen and put their phrases in their box.

Mrs. Garrett collected our phrases and put them in an empty shoebox. There were two shoeboxes, one for each group. She had them marked 'A' and 'B'. Cindy quickly picked 'B'.

"We're going to be the 'B' team," Cindy chimed in.

"Okay, well that makes Molly and Nancy the 'A' team," Mrs. Garrett informed us.

"Why do you want to be the 'B' team?" I asked.

"Because it stands for 'Beautiful Blondes'," Cindy stated while she and Sue Ann was primping and showing off in front of us, like a certain blond, though not of the biological type, whose name also starts with the letter 'B'…

"And the 'A' stands for 'Anything but'," Sue Ann added as those two jackals laughed. We were a bit miffed, but Nancy countered them.

"The 'B' also stands for 'Blond Bimbos!'"

Cindy quickly got upset, "Hey, who are you calling a 'blond bimbo?'"

Mrs. Garrett immediately defused the situation. "Okay you two, stop it!" The two quickly squelched it. "Now Nancy, apologize to Cindy and Sue Ann for calling them bimbos."

"But Mrs. Garrett, they -"

Mrs. Garrett shushed her and said, "That was wrong to call them bimbos. Don't worry, Sue Ann will apologize as well."

"What? I didn't say anything wrong!" Sue Ann protested

"But you mocked them, and that's just as bad. You will apologize after Nancy's done."

She pouted but there wasn't much that Sue Ann could do about it. I think Mrs. Garrett was right. What she said was wrong.

Nancy then faced the two blondes and apologized, "I'm sorry for calling you two 'blond bimbos.'"

Then Sue Ann faced Nancy and apologized, "And I'm sorry for making fun of you two."

"Apologies accepted," Nancy replied. I also accepted Sue Ann's apology.

"Apologies accepted here as well," Sue Ann responded. Cindy accepted the apology too.

Mrs. Garrett smiled again and said, "Great, now let's start the game! Okay, I assume that you ladies know the rules of the game, so I won't go over them." Then she pulled a quarter out of her pocket.

"Call it while it's in the air."

She flipped the coin and I quickly called 'Heads.' Why heads? Because there's more metal on its side, therefore it will more likely land on that side. The coin finally landed on the rug.

"Tails! Cindy and Sue Ann, you choose who will be doing the charade." Dammit! I thought that odds were in my favor.

It didn't take much time for them to choose. Instantly, Cindy declared herself. "I will."

"Okay then, pick a phrase from Team 'A's box."

She picked one and her eyes jumped and then she swallowed her throat.

"Is there something wrong, Cindy?"

"Uh… No."

Then she started her charade. "It's three words. Sorry, two words, and it's a profession – I think."

She gestured a person pulling out and displaying a badge.

"A policeman!" Sue Ann blurted out.

Cindy nodded and then she quickly gestured the cop throwing the person down on the ground. Then she proceeded to 'punch and kick' the invisible person. Sue Ann was stunned, she didn't know what to make of the charade, and neither did Mrs. Garrett; so she stopped her.

"What are you doing, Cindy?"

"Following the phrase. It says 'Abusive cop' with the word 'pig' slashed out."

"Let me see that." She took the paper from Cindy and read it. Fuming, she looked at me and spat, "Molly!"

"What? It's a phrase, isn't it?"

"You know very well that it's an inappropriate phrase!" she screeched.

"Yeah, Molly, cops are not pigs! They're here to protect and serve us," Sue Ann scolded me.

"Oh wake up, Sue Ann! They're just fancy zookeepers who works with the elite to control the general population."

"Oh I'm from L.A., so abusive cops are old news to me,” Cindy stated matter-of-factly followed by a small shrug. She’s right. They're nothing like the ones on CHiPS.

"How dare you talk about the men and women who risk their lives for our safety? Sure there are a few bad cops, but most of them are honest and decent!" Sue Ann yelled back at me.

"Yeah, sure Sue Ann, those 'honest and decent' ones are the same ones who go around harassing Blacks and Hispanics and groping women!"

Then we started to argue for a bit, until Mrs. Garrett shouted, "Quiet!"

We quickly shut our mouths and listened to Mrs. Garrett.

"Now, Cindy please pick another phrase, and this time, let me look at it."

"Okay." She then picked another phrase and her eyes jumped. It's not hard to miss it, especially with eyes like hers. She then hesitantly handed over the paper to Mrs. Garrett. She looked at it and gritted a bit.

"A bird dying from carbon emission?" Now she was really mad at me. "Now let me see the rest of the phrases. She took and looked at each one. It looked like she was about to blow a gasket. However, she managed not to explode. She quickly made ten more strips.

"You and Nancy are going back to the study room and write some new phrases. You got five minutes. If I find another offensive phrase, the game is over. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-y-y-yes Mrs. Garrett. L-l-let's go Nancy."

We went back to the room and started making phrases. I had an even better idea and I shared it with Nancy. She started to laugh.

"Oh my God, you're gonna put that on there?"

"I sure am."

We barely made it, mostly because we were laughing, and gave her our papers. She looked over a few of them and started chuckling. She gave me a look that was telling me, 'I should be ashamed of myself.' I should – but I'm not.

"Okay, now let's start the game again. Cindy pick a phrase from their box."

She picked another one and when she saw it, she smiled. Then she grinned at me and I grinned back. I knew she would love it. The perfect thing about it was that it could apply to either her or Sue Ann.

"It's three words and it's a song."

"Is it a popular song? A folk song? A traditional song? A song played on the radio?" Sue Ann asked.

"It's a popular song that used to be played on the radios quite often," answered Cindy.

After that, she started gesturing that she needed Sue Ann. It didn't take Sue Ann long to figure it out.

"I Need You by America!"

"Correct!" Cindy confirmed. Then the two blondes gave each other five. Nancy and I started to laugh, even though Nancy didn't really get it. Sue Ann gave me a dirty look. Cindy then started to sing the song and Sue Ann told her to be quiet.

"Now, it's your turn. Who will do the charades?"

"I will," Nancy quickly spoke up. Great, I wanted to do the charades.

"Okay, then get a piece of paper from Team B's box."

She read it and then Mrs. Garrett read it.

"Very interesting one," Mrs. Garrett smiled.

"It's three words and it's an expression." Then she pointed to my head at first and then showed me her hair.

"Short hair…? Red hair…?" She gestured that I was very close. "Red-head…? Red-headed?" She nodded in confirmation and then she pretended to be walking up the steps. "Stepping…? Staircases…?" Immediately she shook her head 'no'. "Does it have to do with steps?" She nodded like crazy and then it hit me.

"Red-headed stepchild?"

"Yep!" Nancy said.

"That's one point for Team B!"

I looked across as those two blonde buffoons were hysterically laughing at me.

"Very funny you blonde boobs …" I sneered at them. "I'm no red-headed stepchild!"

"No, but you sure act like one!" Sue Ann taunted back.

Another argument was about to follow, but Mrs. Garrett quickly nipped it in the bud. "Come on now Team A, it's your turn."

Regaining her composure, Sue Ann agreed to do the charade. She picked out a phrase and had a puzzled look on her face. Then she showed it to Mrs. Garrett.

"This is a hard one."

"Well, do the best you can."

Sue Ann looked at it and put it away. "It has four words and it's an activity – a weird activity, unless you live in that country."

"So it's an activity available in one particular foreign country?" Cindy asked. Sue Ann looked at Mrs. Garrett to see if she could answer Cindy's question.

She gave the nod and Sue Ann told Cindy, "Yes, that's true."

She then looked at me and smirked a bit. "Trying to make this hard on us, huh?"

I grinned back. "Why not? I want to win."

Then Sue Ann started doing poses of hieroglyph drawings.

Cindy was doing her best to guess. "Umm… Egyptians…. Egypt… It has something to do with Egyptians?" Sue Ann hinted that she was getting close. "Umm… It has something to do with Egypt?" Sue Ann smiled and then she pretended to be rowing on a boat. "Boat and Egypt?" Sue Ann kept on going until Cindy figured out a part of it: "It has to do with the Nile?"

Sue Ann smiled and nodded. "Oh, then you must be rowing down the Nile." Sue Ann suggested that she was getting close. "You must be traveling down the Nile." Sue Ann strongly gestured that she was very close. "You must be traveling up the Nile…? Traveling down the Nile…? Travelling through the Nile…?" Just as she was about to give up, she finally guessed, "Traveling in the Nile."

"Yes, yes, that's it!"

"That's correct. The correct expression is 'Traveling in the Nile,' as in Sue Ann is traveling in the Ni – hahaha!"

Mrs. Garret got the joke and started to laugh. That made me laugh even more. Nancy didn't get the joke and neither did Cindy nor Sue Ann.

"What's so funny about me traveling in de-?" Then she paused a bit and realized what it really meant. She looked at me and seethed with raging anger.

"Molly, I'll get you back."

"What's wrong Sue Ann?" Cindy asked with some concern.

"Your friend is implying that I'm traveling in the Nile. As in, I'm in denial over something."

Cindy then busted out laughing, but immediately stoped after seeing Sue Ann's angry face.

"Umm, I'm sorry. Don't let Molly get to you like that. She's only kidding,” Cindy said while touching her shoulders for comfort. Sue Ann was now feeling really nervous and I knew that Cindy was doing it on purpose since she winked at me and mouthed off, 'Good one.' Then she told Sue Ann, "I know how to make you feel better." She went on to hug her, which looked more like an embrace. Sue Ann quickly pushed her away. Now I was on the floor laughing.

I guess my laugh was a bit infectious, since Mrs. Garrett started to laugh even more than before. Boy, I wish Blair and Natalie were here to see this.

Eventually, everything returned back to normal and we continued with the game. It was basically more of the same nuttiness. The rest of the phrases were more about their latent relationship and I was getting more laughs out of it.

However, those two got the last laugh as they crushed us, 8-2. When it was over, Sue Ann came up to me.

"I want to have a word with you – now!"

Uh oh... "Okay…"

We went into the study room and she voiced her disapproval of the game.

"What the hell was that all about? Are you trying to play matchmaker here?"

"Well, it looks like you need some help with your denial," I smirked. I was trying so hard not to laugh. "So far, it looks like you're in Sudan right now."

Ignoring my snickering, Sue Ann scoffed at me, "Listen to me Molly, I DO NOT like Cindy that way."

"That's not what your body is telling me,” I ended as I walked out of the study room, still snickering. Boy, climbing the Empire State Building would be a much easier task than convincing her the truth.

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Today is Christmas and it was well, wonderful outside. It was drizzling and that damn fog hasn't left. So much for that picturesque white Christmas you see on TV.

I was the first person to go downstairs. I looked in the Christmas tree to see if anyone had unwrapped my gifts to them. I used paper bags as wrapping because it's biodegradable and we have a lot of it in this house, so why go out and buy some?

Fortunately, none of them did. Then I saw a gift that was for me. It was from Ralph.

"Hope you like this Christmas gift, even though you don't believe in it. Ralph Twitter."

I opened it and it was a handmade doll. It looked something like a Raggedy Ann. Then I saw a piece of paper on the floor. It might have fallen out when I was unwrapping the gift. I read it aloud to myself.

"Dear Molly. I hope you enjoy your present. I used scraps of cloths from an arts and crafts store since they were about to through it out. I hope you like it. Give me a call, I'm back home in Austin, Texas: 512-555-3322."

Boy was I in Utopia! I ran to the phone and called Ralph collect.

"Hello?"

"Is this Ralph?"

"Yes, is this Molly?"

"It is, Sweetie. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Honey! Hey, I got your gift. Thanks! I love it."

"I'm glad you do. I got your gift as well. Of course, you know that already since I'm calling you right now, and I love it! You are a very sweet person."

"Thanks…" I bet he was blushing on the other end. We kept talking for nearly thirty minutes, even though the call was collect. I lost track of time as we discussed various things. It wasn't until Nancy reminded me that she needed to make a call I realized that I’ve been on the phone far too long.

"It seems that I'm not the only one who hogs the phone line."

I looked at her and saw her smiling. "Sorry Ralph, but I got to get off right now. Talk to you later. Bye."

I hung up and told her, "It's all yours!"

She smiled and said, "So is Ralph someone special?"

"He's not just special. He's magnificent."

We laughed and she told me, "Well, I'm glad that you found someone. Now if we can get Sue Ann and Cindy excited about their boyfriends."

I hesitated to answer her. "Um… sure." I left immediately. When I looked back, she was looking at me as if something was bothering me. She was very much right.

Just as I was about to go upstairs, I saw Cindy and Sue Ann coming down.

"Merry Yule, Molly!" Cindy joked. Sue Ann laughed.

I took it all in stride. "Merry Yule to you too, Cindy."

Sue Ann quickly stopped laughing and said, "We're not going to fight today, are we?"

"No, Sue Ann, not at all. Today's the day for peace and sisterhood, so you won't have any problems from me."

"And you won't have any problems with me as well," she replied with a serious tone.

As a sign of truce, we shook hands and went downstairs. I smelled something coming from the kitchen. I went in there and saw Mrs. Garrett cooking like crazy. She already had some of her blueberry pancakes on the table.

"Molly, could you be a darling and put those pancakes on the dining room table, please?"

"No problem."

As soon as I entered the dining room, I saw lots of food on the table. There was bacon, eggs, hash browns, oatmeal, biscuits, and even a wide variety fruits. Wow, now that's a Christmas breakfast!

About fifteen minutes later, everything was ready. As we sat down, Mrs. Garrett decided to say a prayer.

"Okay, let's pray before we eat. Dear Jesus, maybe today is not your birthday, but that's not what’s important. What is important is that we are taking time to worship your honor and to give praise for your sacrifice. We pray for us to enjoy this Christmas in your honor and your mercy. We pray for those who are less fortunate than we are and that someday, they can be as fortunate. We pray for all these things and even more. Amen."

While we ate, I caught Sue Ann glancing at Cindy, but was turning away just as soon as Cindy noticed. Cindy just smiled. All of a sudden, I saw a surprised look on Sue Ann's face. Cindy seductively winked at her again. I had a feeling that she would be playing footsy with Sue Ann. I wasn't sure, but I guess luck was on my side, when my fork accidentally fell on the rug. No one else noticed but me, so when I retrieved it, I saw Cindy rubbing her left foot on Sue Ann's right foot. I got back up and looked at Cindy with some shame. Oh Cindy… you could be shameless.

During our breakfast, Nancy talked about her boyfriend – as usual.

"I'm just disappointed that I can't go home for Christmas this year. I was planning to take Roger home with me so he could finally meet my folks."

"Well, you should take him during the next break, which will be in the spring,” I advised.

"Yeah, I should," she chirped and went back to eating her food.

"What about you, Molly? Are you planning tog have Ralph visit your father?"

When Mrs. Garrett asked that, something inside of me wanted to scream in anger. I didn't want to see that man ever again. To me, he's only my biological father and nothing more. "It's too soon Mrs. Garrett. We've only known each other for two months."

She laughed and responded, "That's true Molly. You're a wise girl."

"Thank you. I try not to let men dictate my life."

"But you have no problem trying to dictate your father's life though." Like a New York minute, the table went quiet. I knew where she is going with this and I didn't like it one bit. Regrettably, she didn't stop there, regrettably. "See Molly, you can't tell your dad who he should be with. When you are doing that, you're not that much better than those bigots who force their wills upon others. Do you see my point?"

I sulked when I responded, "Yes, I do very much."

"Good. Now tell me more about your presents!"

Yep, just that instant, she changed the subject. Interestingly enough, she didn't bother to ask Cindy or Sue Ann. Maybe she didn't want to put them on the spot, and I respect her for that. Boy, I sure got a lot to learn…

After we finished eating, we watched It's a Wonderful Life and then we sang Christmas carols. I tried to get the group to sing 'Happy Xmas (War is Over),' but they wouldn't go for it. The rest of the time, we just stayed in our rooms. It seemed that everybody liked the presents I made for them. It was a silver necklace with the peace symbol. I think they liked it. Hey, if you're going to give someone a gift, give him or her something meaningful.

However, there was one present that really stood out from the others. Blair left this household a present. It was a Betamax video machine! Cool, isn't it? What was even cooler was that she got five tapes for us to watch, so we can watch movies anytime of the day! They were Superman, Watership Down, Romeo and Juliet, Blazing Saddles, and The Children's Hour… The Children's Hour! What the heck? Blair didn't think that anybody would pick up on that? Well, she's very wrong there. Blair, you're gayer than a pink parasol.

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Dinnetime came, and Mrs. Garrett prepared yet another big meal, with mashed potatoes, cranberries, cornbread, green beans, stuffing, honey-cured ham, and a roasted chicken. She was not in the mood to bake a turkey, which is unfortunate, because I like turkey.

It was just the usual, talking about various things such as our presents, what it would be like back home, the three other dormmates, and stuff like that, and of course, the video machine.

"I can't believe that Blair got us a video machine. Now we can watch movies when we feel like it," Mrs. Garrett noted happily.

"It would be cool, but I heard those tapes can be expensive, like $5 a piece," I told them.

"Ouch! That's so expensive!" Sue Ann barked. "I hope it will be Blair that will buy all of our videos."

"Yeah, but then we will be stuck with what she wants to watch," Cindy reminded us. "And we will be bored to death with all the French stuff she likes."

"God, don't remind me Cindy," Nancy sighed while rolling her eyes. "She constantly speaks both English and French. I got so sick and tired of it, I had to tell her that we don't speak Frenglish here!"

We all laughed. I'm glad that she's not my roommate. Finally, it was time for dessert.

"Now, if you excuse me, I'll get the dessert." Mrs. Garrett pardoned herself from the table and got the dessert. She brought two desserts to the table: one was her "famous" frosted chocolate chip chocolate cake and the other got Sue Ann excited.

"Rice pudding!"

"Yes, Sue Ann, you're favorite,” Mrs. Garrett told her with her motherly smile.

Sue Ann quickly scooped out a good portion of the pudding, placed it on her plate, and took her first bite.

"And it's got some cinnamon in it as well. Oh, this is so good! Thanks for making this Mrs. Garrett."

Mrs. Garrett first looked the other way and then told Sue Ann the truth. "Well… I didn't make it."

"You didn't?"

Mrs. Garrett shook her head, "Mmm. Mmmm."

Then she looked at Nancy, "Did you make it?"

Nancy shook her head. "Nope."

Then she looked at me. "Did you make it, Molly?"

"I didn't. The last time I tried to make rice, I burned it." That was an unfortunate event, since the fire detector went off and we couldn't stop it. The firemen came and told us to get better detectors.

"Oh, I see. Then if it isn't Mrs. Garrett, and if it isn't you two, then…" she trailed as she turned to her right and saw a smiling Cindy.

"I did, Sue Ann."

Sue Ann didn't know what to say. She stuttered out her sentence, “Uh-uh-uh-uh thanks?"

"You're welcome. Anything for my good friend. Well, what are you waiting for, eat up!"

Sue Ann regained some composure and smiled back. "I sure will!"

We all had some of the rice pudding and enjoyed it. Cindy's a better cook than I thought.

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It wasn't until dinner was over, when things really got interesting. Mrs. Garrett and Nancy were upstairs, while Cindy and Sue Ann were downstairs. Neither of the two knew I was coming downstairs for some milk and cookies. While I was on the steps, I was able to see the two sharing their last gifts.

"I got a special gift for you,” Sue Ann told her in a singsong tone.

Quickly, Cindy got excited. "Really? What is it?"

"Let me get it for you." She then went to the back of the Christmas tree and got the gift. Sue Ann then handed it to Cindy and she opened it. It was a framed autograph photo of some football player. She quickly got excited.

"Wow! Is this an autographed photo of Gale Sayers?" Oh, I think I've heard of him.

"It is! It's a photo of him when he used to play for the Jayhawks."

At that moment, Sue Ann and Cindy saw me.

"Oh hey there, Molly! Did you see what she got me?" Cindy jubilated.

"Yeah, some signed autograph of some football player, right?"

Her eyes got big, like she was astonished that I didn't know who he was. Cindy tends to forget that I don't follow football as much as she does. "It's not just some football player. It's Gayle Sayers, one of the greatest running backs of all time! This man was amazing on the field."

"Uh… I guess so?" I responded. She just looked at me and proceeded to read the writing out loud.

"Dear Cindy Webster. I heard that you like football, so here's a gift for you. Gayle Sayers."

Cindy jumped up for a bit and then hugged Sue Ann. "Oh thank you so much Sue Ann. You don't know how much I will cherish it!"

Sue Ann blushed a bit and beamed. "I hope so. My cousin Zeke from Manhattan went through a bit of trouble getting it."

"Manhattan? You got a cousin living near here?"

"No, stupid. Manhattan, Kansas. Where the University of Kansas is located."

"Oh. I didn't know that," Cindy replied.

"I did, but how far is it from Kansas City?" I asked.

"It's no more than two hours away. Nice place."

"Hey, Sue Ann, guess what? I got a gift for you!" Cindy elated like a little girl wanting to give her Christmas gift.

"Awesome! What is it?"

"Let me get it right now. You didn't move it, did you Molly?"

"Nope, it's in the same spot, unless someone else found it and moved it."

"They better not, or else…"

She promptly went to another room and got the gift. I'm not telling you guys where she hid it. Then she handed it over to Sue Ann. Like a child opening her first Christmas gift, she quickly unwrapped the present and shouted, "Oh my God! I can't believe this!"

"Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? I LOVE it! You got an autographed copy of Eddie Rabbitt's latest album. I feel like I went to heaven by now!"

Cindy was very happy and so was I. Thank you, Eddie.

After she calmed down a bit, Sue Ann thanked her. "Thanks for the album."

"Oh, something fell on the floor," I pointed.

Sue Ann looked down and saw the autographed photo. She read it and got very excited.

"This is so awesome. I can't believe it! If this was back home, all the girls would be jealous of me."

"Really?" Cindy questioned.

"Absolutely! They all love him! Thank you so much, Cindy!" Sue Ann gleefully hugged Cindy and gave her a peck on the cheek. Cindy smiled, but what happened next will change their relationship from that point on. She drew Sue Ann's face close to hers and smooched her! Sue Ann didn't resist, in fact she gave in very easily. Her arms were wrapped around Cindy's back like she didn't want her to go anywhere. Cindy had her arms wrapped around Sue Ann's neck. Passionately, they kissed each other like there was no tomorrow. About a minute later, Sue Ann  suddenly snapped out of it. She slightly pushed Cindy away and gave her an incredulous look. Then she looked at me with an angry scowl.

"You saw all of this and you didn't do a thing? Why didn't you stop it?" she scolded. It looked like a tear was running down her cheek

"It seemed like you were enjoying it," I simply told her. That made her even madder and she ran upstairs. Cindy had a wide smile on her face. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about Scott kissing her before you did."

"Yep, and boy does she want me. I didn't even need a mistletoe for that kiss."

I shook my head. I knew that Cindy could be bold, but not THAT bold. "She sure does, but when will she admit it?" That's the million-dollar question.

"I don't know but I feel like I'm in heaven - whether you believe in it or not."

"Oh, stop it!"

"Psych! Just playing with you. Let's get back to our rooms before Mrs. Garrett see us and starts asking questions."

However, it was too late, for a soon as we got to the upstairs’ hallway, there was Mrs. Garrett, waiting for us.

"What did you two do to Sue Ann? She's bawling like crazy in her room,” Mrs. Garrett demanded.

Cindy was totally speechless and I was trying to find something to tell her.

"Cindy?" She looked at her, knowing that she must have done something to Sue Ann.

"I gave her a gift. That's all." That's true – sort of. Cindy should know by now that you can't fool Mrs. Garrett that easily.

"Cindy, we need to talk in the bedroom – now."

"Uh, okay…"

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	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

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Well, I have to say that this Christmas was very interesting. I usually don't care for it, but this year was very different. The charades game was a riot, the breakfast was great, and, of course, the kiss. I know that Cindy can be bold at times, but not like that! For the next few days, Sue Ann did her best to avoid Cindy. Cindy got a bit sad because of it. I think she realized that she was too aggressive. Now I'm starting to get concerned about their friendship.

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Today is December 30th, and Greg is coming back from New Mexico. His mother's family is from there, and he decided to visit them during the Christmas break. The only reason why he's coming back early is because he wants to celebrate New Year’s Day here. I mean who doesn't? New York City is the place to be for celebrating New Year’s Day. You know? I mean come on! Where would you want to celebrate New Year’s Day? New York City or Albuquerque? Only in NYC will you hear Mr. Plastic Surgery, Dick Clark, giving the countdown live. For the rest of the country, they're stuck watching it on ABC. I don't care what he says, no human should look that young at 50!

As a matter of fact, Scott is coming too, and, unfortunately, so is Roger. Just great, I have to deal with two meatheads. I also found out the real reason why Blair would be at Times Square and not at some high-class ballroom somewhere else in Manhattan, as you might expect from her. Catherine Bach from Dukes of Hazzard will be there. Being one of her biggest fans, Blair could not miss the opportunity to see her hidden crush. I don't know if Natalie will be there though, but I know that Tootie won't. She's staying in DC for the remainder of the break. I'm looking forward to saying goodbye to the 70s, and all the polyester leisure suits, gold medallions, pet rocks, roller discos, bell-bottoms, astrology signs, CB radios, and waterbeds that came with it. Good riddance!

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There seemed to be one thing missing for the New Year’s Day celebration - proper clothing. This was especially true for Cindy, who only had that dress from the Harvest Fair.

"Do you think this shirt goes with my hip-huggers?" she asked me. Nancy was in the room with us when she heard Cindy’s question, she was aghast.

"Of course not, Cindy! This is New Year’s Day; you got to dress more appropriately. That raglan baseball T-shirt will not do and neither would those hip-huggers."

"Well, what should I dress like - Cinderella?" she sarcastically scoffed at Nancy.

"Yeah, just like Cinderella, because you're going to something like a ball, and you know Blair won't allow you in unless you are wearing proper attire. I'm surprised that Blair is letting you come, since she acts like your wicked stepmother”

I backed Nancy up. “I agree. You're not like the best of friends with her, Cindy."

"True, which is why I'm a bit reluctant to go. She might do something to me at the party," Cindy lamented a bit.

"She won't do anything. I had a talk with her, so rest assured that nothing will happen. What you should worry about right now is getting some decent clothes," Nancy derided as she was going through Cindy’s closet, looking at her clothes with disgust.

"Oh great…" Cindy grumbled.

"She's got a point, Cindy. Heck, I might need something more decent myself," I shared with her.

Sue Ann came into the room and heard a bit of the conversation. She looked away from Cindy, still reeling from the Christmas kiss. She informed Nancy of a sale that was going on: "I heard that you guys were talking about dresses for New Year’s. Well, Montgomery Ward has a 20% New Year’s Day special going on. We should go."

"But are we going to find some good stuff there?" Cindy asked. She's a dummy when it comes to shopping. From what I found out, her parents bought most of her clothes. But then again, so did my parents.

"Yeah, but will they be enough to impress Blair? You know how she is when it comes to fashion," Nancy doubtfully questioned Sue Ann.

Sue Ann grinned and told us not to worry. "Look ladies, I grew up in a big family that didn't have a lot of money, so I know how to shop smartly, look good, and grab for discounts. You don't have to spend a fortune to look good, if you shop wisely. I also know what Blair likes and I know how to get it cheap."

"That's nice and all, but where are we going to get the money - rob First National Bank?" I asked. I mean, like Mrs. Garrett is going to give us $100 each for shopping? Yeah right!

"You don't need to rob a bank, Molly, like your so-called hero Patty Hearst. You could call your parents to send you some money to Western Union. We should be able to get the money in less than an hour thanks to the fact they're using computers now for transaction. After all, our parents owe us for making us stay here for the holiday."

It was like a breakthrough just happened and everybody got excited. "That should work! Gee Sue Ann, you really are smart!" Nancy was elated.

Sue Ann blushed a bit as she said, "It was nothing, really."

So all of us, except Sue Ann, who made enough from tutoring, gave our parents a call and asked them to wire us some money. I called my mom, knowing that she would be more likely to give me the money. That has always been the case. Even when my parents were married, my dad refused to give me money, while my mom had no problems doing so.

It was funny when Cindy called her parents for money. "I can't believe how excited they got when they heard that I was buying a dress," she snickered.

“Of course they were excited,” Nancy cheered, “because their bay girl is finally acting like a real girl.”

It was plain to see that Nancy’s comments left Cindy uncomfortable, and she gulped a bit and looked down at the ground. Sue Ann and I felt very uncomfortable as well, as we looked away. I told Nancy, "She was always a woman; she just didn't want to reveal it. Well tonight, you'll get to see that Cindy is all woman." Cindy basically thanked me with a smile and I returned one to her.

"You're right Molly. Sorry about that Cindy."

"Oh, it's no problem, I've been called worse." Yeah, mostly by a bleach-headed bigot who lives in the closet.

"Well, let's get ourselves ready. Hopefully, the money will be there when we get there," Sue Ann reminded us.

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Thanks to the wonderful, clean, and efficient Peekskill bus service (sarcasm), it took us two hours to get to the nearest Western Union, which was only two blocks away from Montgomery Ward. Luckily, our parents sent us the cash in time. We then headed straight to the department store. Sue Ann brought all the coupons from last Sunday's papers. Thank goodness.

"You guys don't know how much time and newspaper I went through to get these," she derided.

"I could imagine," I told her. I know, because I clip coupons too.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's shop!" Nancy yelled excitedly. I don't know who’s the bigger shopaholic of the two: Blair or Nancy. The only reason it seems that Blair's the bigger one is because she has more money.

Montgomery Ward is your typical department store built for the middle-class mass consumerist. You can find your typical junk - I mean products – here: Second-rate jeans, 8-track players, 25-inch TV screen, and some cheap low-end imported shoes like Pony and Nike. The sad fact is that nothing I listed was made here in the United States. Nope, instead they're made in Japan and Taiwan where labor is cheap and slave-like, so corporations save a bunch of money. So much for the wonders of capitalism and corporate loyalty to this country.

We began discussing where to start.

"I say we go to the shoe department since it's close by," Nancy suggested.

I argued, "No, I say we go to the young woman's department first."

"I say we go to the cosmetics department and get some makeup first before – Hey, where's Cindy?" Sue Ann wondered.

"Yeah, where is she?" Nancy asked.

We wondered a bit, and then it hit me. "I think I know where she is. Follow me."

I led the two to the electronics department. Not too far away was Cindy. She was in the video games section, playing that stupid Atari 2600. It was on display for the New Year's Day sale. It looked like she was playing some sort of baseball game.

"Oh God, is there any hope for that girl," Nancy sighed with a huff at the end.

"Nancy, just be patient. Cindy is a bit different," Sue Ann tried to explain to Nancy as best as she could. I went up to Cindy and asked, "Cindy, what are you doing?"

"I'm playing this baseball game on the Atari 2600. Just like what Pete Rose said in the commercial, it's almost like the real thing! It's so neat-o!" I don't know how it's almost like the real thing when the players look like lines and the baseball looks like a dot on the screen.

Calmly, I reminded her of our task, "Just because some famous athlete said so, doesn't mean that it's the truth. They don't even look like human beings. Cindy, we are here to get some clothes for the New Year's Day party."

She turned around and looked at me like a little child, "But can I at least get to play Space Invaders?"

"No. Let's go and get our dresses. We're here to get some clothes."

"But Molly, I – HEY!" I had to pull Cindy away from the idiot box called the Atari 2600.

As we were walking to the young women’s department, we passed by the TV section and Cindy instantly got glued to the television sets.

"Hey, the Steelers are playing the Dolphins."

"Cindy," I sternly warned her.

"But it's the playoffs!"

"Cindy!" All of us said in unison. Cindy finally relented.

"Alright…"

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Finally, when we got to the young women's section, we were surprised that there weren't a lot of people. Thank goodness, we don't have to worry about waiting in the dressing room or the lack of good clothes.

We concentrated on Cindy first, since she was the main reason we went through all this trouble to be here. It took us a bit to find a decent dress for her, since she turned her nose on all of them, but we finally found one that she liked.

"This will look good on me."

"It sure will, Cindy. Why don't you try it on in the dressing room?" Sue Ann suggested.

"Sure. Can't wait to see how it looks on me," Cindy went straight to the dressing room.

I noticed a huge grin on Nancy's face as she said, "Finally, Cindy has become a true woman. I thought I wouldn't live to see this day."

"You're beginning to sound a lot like Blair, because that's what she would say," I replied, not really liking the way the conversation was going.

"And she would be right. Cindy’s something of an embarrassment."

Oh no, now I'm really not liking where this discussion is going. "How so?" I asked with a somewhat furious look on her face.

"I mean some of the girls in gym class the other day were taking about her, and they were saying how very uncomfortable they felt around her, especially when they’re in the locker room. Missy said that when she changing, she saw Cindy looking at her. She thinks Cindy is gay.” Missy Klinger is short and not very athletic, but she is voluptuous and has dirty blond hair, so maybe Cindy's not really that picky about a woman's figure, she just likes women, period.

Immediately my and Sue Ann's face turned red. "That's not good," Sue Ann replied rather sheepishly. She couldn't look at Nancy, and neither could I.

"It's not. And it could make us look bad if we really do have a queer in our dorm,” Nancy responded in a somewhat panicked state. Sue Ann was starting to get nervous as I heard faint sounds of her teeth chattering, and I was starting to get mad at Nancy for referring to Cindy as a queer.

"Cindy's not a queer, and if she was, so what?" I spat out in a bit of furor as I looked at Nancy rather steely. I lied a bit, but really, Cindy's not a queer, she's a lesbian, and she should be treated with respect just like everyone else.

"So what?! We can't have a gay person in our dorm—that's disgusting."

Now my face was matching my hair color – pure red as I was about to tell her off, but Sue Ann became the voice of reason in this, believe it or not.

"Stop it you two! This is something we don't talk about in public. You two are making fools of yourselves in front of everyone. Now let's get our focus back on shopping instead of Cindy's sexuality." I have a feeling she wanted to add at the end, "Or mine as well."

I was the first to budge by saying, "You're right Sue Ann. It was unnecessary."

"Yeah, same for what Molly said," Nancy replied.

I could see Sue Ann's body showing a sense of relief that we stopped the discussion. I'm feeling a bit sorry about Sue Ann right now; it's obvious that she's fighting an internal battle that could lead to a downward spiral for her.

Then we heard Cindy from the dressing room. "Sue Ann, can you come in here? The zipper in the back is stuck."

Sue Ann nervously asked one of us to help Cindy unzip it, "Can one of you two help her with her dress?"

"No, Sue Ann, you help her out with her dress. After all, she asked you, not us. Also, it was you who picked the dress," I reminded her. I saw the quick anger appearing on her face.

"Yeah, besides Molly and I are planning to look at some dresses we just passed by."

"Yeah, there's the blue one I think will go well with my dress. Let's check it out!"

As we left, I swore I heard Sue Ann grumbling, "You mother…"

We were checking out the scarfs for a good while, pretty much forgetting about Sue Ann and Cindy, until they came back. What we saw was quite a surprise. Both of their faces were flushed red. Cindy had the look of victory while Sue Ann had the look of shame.

Nancy took notice. "What happened?"

"Umm… Cindy's zipper was really stuck, so I was struggling to get it working again."

"Believe me, it was a struggle, and my back was aching from it,” Cindy lied, I mean, droned. I just looked at them and smiled. I think I know what really went on in the dressing room.

"That must be one heck of a zipper. I bet Cindy got as much help from you as possible," I said rather cheekily. Cindy was blushing even more. Sue Ann gave me a rather scowling look.

"Yeah, she was a great help. I can use someone like her around all the time," Cindy answered with that sly smirk of hers. I was trying my very best not to laugh.

Nancy spoke up, "Well I'm glad you two are back. Molly and I were debating what belt to use with my dress. I'm thinking the white belt, but Molly thinks the gray belt would work better." Nancy then showed the belt and the dress to the two women.

Cindy shrugged her shoulders while Sue Ann looked at the belts and examined it for a while. "I have to go with you here, Nancy; the white belt stands out a bit more."

Nancy smiled, "Thank you."

For the rest of the day, nothing else special happened. We simply got our clothes for the party. I hope it will be good enough to pass Blair's standards, which is somewhere between 'insanely expensive' and 'totally ridiculous.'

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We got back to our dorm and tried on our clothes. I really like what I got. It's fancy, but not slutty. I just wish Ralph was here to see it. Cindy wasted no time trying on the clothes because the Rams and the Cowboys were playing and, since this was the playoffs, Cindy had to watch it. She's a die-hard Rams fan. Quicker than you can say "Jimmy The Greek," Cindy got out of her dress and donned a L.A. Rams jersey and a L.A. rams baseball cap.

We turned the TV on a few minutes before the game started, and the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleaders were on the field.

"How degrading it is for these women to wear short shorts and revealing tops. They are reduced to being pieces of meat."

"All the better for me," Cindy said like a horny teenage boy.

"Cindy! Don't you see how they’re being treated as nothing more than eye candy?"

"That’s fine with me because to me it's just plain sweet!"

I shook my head and said, "You're just like a man."

Nancy and Sue Ann came down right after her comment.

"I guess the Cowboys-Rams game is on, right?" Sue Ann asked.

"Sure is, and the Rams are going to win." Cindy boasted like she really runs the team. I don't get why people are so passionate about their professional teams. I don't hate sports, but I don't really see the purpose of spectator sports like the NFL.

Sue Ann shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me, because the Chiefs failed to make it in the playoffs again,” she said pouting.

While we were watching the game, Cindy and Sue Ann were talking to each other like two dudes would do. They were taking about stats, plays, even the coaches and players themselves. Nancy and I were lost, trying to understand those two. Luckily enough for me, I know the basics of football, so I just ended up watching the game – and watching those two. A few times I saw Cindy using her left pinky to gently stroke Sue Ann's right hand. Sue Ann nonchalantly brushed it off. At one pointed she whispered "Cindy…" Cindy eventually stopped, but not before Sue Ann start to turn red.

The Rams won, and Cindy was happy. For the rest of the day we just watched other stuff on TV; nothing more than the usual crap, because that's all there is on TV – crap.

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The next day was the last day of the 70s. Good. It was still a few hours away, yet Nancy was already excited about the New Year's party.

"This is going to be so out of sight. We're going to be saying goodbye to the seventies. I know that the eighties will be awesome because Roger and I are finally going to be together again!"

"You're acting like you haven't seen each other for ages."

"I know. It's been like seven days!" she despaired.

"Oh my goodness, Nancy, just seven days? You make it sound like it's an eternity!"

"It is to me." I just slapped my hand to my forehead and shook my head in disgust. "But guess what? Blair got us a good spot in Times Square! We'll get to see Daisy Duke doing the countdown!" How surprising…

"So will we meet Blair over there?"

"Yes. She said to come by 10 PM. She'll arrange everything. I heard that Tumpy and her group would be there as well. Maybe I'll finally get in."

"Don't hold your breath on that one, Nancy. You have to be in good with Tumpy and from what Tootie told me, you're anything but. She doesn't want you to be a part of the group." I don't know why, but for some reason Tumpy seems to harvest a certain type of hatred for Nancy. Maybe it has to do with Roger, because many women want Roger. I could see that.

"And I don't understand why. I mean, the rest of The Group likes me, but she doesn't."

"Look, don't let it bother you; it's probably not what it's cracked up to be. Tumpy's really an airhead and so is her gang." Yes, I know that Nancy's an airhead too, but I don't think she's as vapid as Tumpy.

"You're right Molly, as long as I got Roger, that's all "The Group" that I need." Nancy ended with a wide grin, showing her pearly whites. I wish my teeth were that white.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. Besides, you're already a part of a super cool group, that includes you, me, Blair, Sue Ann, Cindy, Tootie, and Natalie."

"You're right. Thanks’” she acknowledged and showed her appreciation with a friendly hug.

"No problem. Let's get some stuff for the New Year's party. It's going to be close to freezing out there."

This New Year's celebration would be even better if there was one thing: Ralph. He won't be here to celebrate it with me. I wish he were here though.

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End file.
